The Beast Inside
by Soar Vandergeid
Summary: As Robin gets captured by Slade's minions the Titans start to despair. The plan was simple : breach the walls and defeat the evil mastermind. But Raven got taken away just under Beast Boy's eyes, Starfire was too focused on the enemy to watch out for Robin's back and Cyborg is just barely able to fight. Rating is T for now (might change to M though). More inside ! :P
1. Chapter 0 - Résumé

So here is beginning of a short fanfiction I thought about while reading other fanfictions about the mighty Teen Titans ! :P

It might be around ten chapters long, though I can't tell as I haven't finished it yet, but it shouldn't be much longer than that.

Now if you want it a more complete summary of what is yet to come :

As the Titans have united with old allies to defeat the great threat that is Slade once again they must breach the walls of his stone citadel, but it is not a simple task as the masked mastermind has assembled an army of fearsome villains to help his cause. Robin's plan was simple : find a way to breach the walls of the citadel and then unite their strength to defeat their nemesis. It was going quite smoothly until Raven got taken away before Beast Boy's eyes as he was trying to protect her from Mumbo Jumbo and Cheshire after she was hurt by one of Kyd Wykkyd's attack. Then it went from bad to worse when Robin got captured. Starfire was supposed to watch his back but she got too distracted by her own enemies for a second and Adonis took advantage of that, landing a hard punch on the Boy Wonder. Now both of them are on the verge of despair and have almost lost their will to fight. Cyborg, who was taken down earlier and only managed to finish reparaing himself, is barely able to fight and has to deal with this dire situation alone. Will he be able to calm Starfire down from her fit of rage and to bring out Beast Boy from his torpor ? The real strength of the Teen Titans does not reside in their powers, and the half machine man knows that, but will he be able to convey this to his friends ? That is the only way to save his friends and to defeat their powerful enemy and he knows it. But the tinman can't help wonder what Slade's objective really is and why some of the Titans are behaving strangely...

Ok, so here was a bit longer summary to give you a better idea of what this is going to be about.

There will be some suspens, a lot of action (or at least I plan and hope to add quite a bit) and romance of course ! I will not say more but I hope you will enjoy reading this short story as much as I enjoy writing it ! ;)

Now, the first chapter should be up as soon as I finish to check it for mistakes ! ;)


	2. Chapter 1 - The Stone Citadel

This if the first chapter of my fanfiction about the Teen Titans. I'm don't really intend to write a very long speech here (too tire to do it anyways... :P) so I'll just say this : Hope you enjoy ! :D

(And no, TT doesn't belong to me sadly...)

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The night had fallen silently for some time over the stone walls of the fortress as they walked in. Sounds of running and large objects could all around, explosions echoed in the background and battle cries shot were carried by the light wind from outside. The group that had come through the gates quickly advanced towards the large building in the center as a few men in uniforms hurried to close the huge gates shut. There were four people walking in a square formation around a fifth one who was dragged in chains. One of the four laughed as he gave a kick to the one in the center.

"So, not feeling so confident now, are we Robin ?" The masked young man stumbled on his feet, trying to keep his balance despite the constant buzzing in his head, but almost fell as the teen in the front kept advancing and pulling on his chains. On his right Adonis kept laughing at the Teen Titans' leader's fate as they walked towards the tower. On his left walked a thin young girl with pink hair, she occasionally let violet sparks travel along her pale hands as she watched the sky. Behind them walked another member of the Hive, dressed in red too he occasionally duplicated himself in two or three clones of himself which would then merge again into one individual, laughing to himself. They passed another set of impressive doors before arriving in a giant stone hall. The boy wonder groaned as he was pushed hard by the teen in the big red armored suit and this time fell hard on his side, feeling the pain shoot through his whole body. He must have broken a few ribs earlier as he tried without great success to dodge Adonis's surprise punch. The guy hadn't left him much chance, he had attacked when Robin was dazed and disoriented. As he got up the chief of the Teen Titans looked around him, trying to process everything in his surroundings.

In the middle of the room stood a staircase going up and separating in two, one going to the right, the other to the left and then disappearing on the upper floor. They all walked towards the stairs, climbing towards the floor above, and then to the one above again and so on until they reached what Robin thought must have been the eighth floor. _How big is this place ?! _he thought. When they finally reached the final point of their assent they turned right into a large and barely lit corridor and reached a third set of doors. The young man in the red power suit walked to them and pushed them open as if they did not weight more than a single sheet of paper. The group walked in, Robin heaving at the effort and the pain he was feeling after the climb. The room was not so large as it was long. It must have been ten meters wide and more than eight times longer. On one end there was a huge opening in the stone wall and they could see the dark sky and the stars shining while the other was occupied by a throne on which sat a rather large man. As they approached the man stood up and waited patiently for them to reach him. It took no time to the young Titan to recognize the one man that he despised the most and that had haunted his nights for all those months.

"Slade…!" He muttered in disgust, regretting not being able to spit it to the man clad in black and orange because of his ribs.

"Ah, my dear Robin!" Exclaimed the villain as the group finally crossed the last few meters separating them from him. "It is so good to see you again…" He added in his deep gravelly voice the teen hated so much.

"Talk for yourself…" Replied the black-haired teen. The man laughed at that and dismissed the other four with a wave of the hand. Kyd Wykkyd disappeared in one of his portals, followed closely by the teen clad in red who had now duplicated himself In three copies, each of them punching the other on the shoulder in a never ending circle. Jinx retreated next, walking back towards the doors and playing with her sparks as she seemed lost in her thoughts. Adonis was the last one to go, lingering to have a last look at his enemy before definitely handing him to the mastermind behind all this. He would have given a lot to be able to stay with the Titan and hurt him a bit more before leaving, but the _big boss _had dismissed them and he didn't want to get _him_ into a bad mood. As they all disappeared Robin turned back towards Slade and looked at his masked face, imagining very well the wicked smile that hid behind it. He therefore did not see the leader of the Hive discreetly turning back and shooting him an unreadable look before turning back and following Adonis out of the room.

"Well" Slade started again. But before he had time to go on the young man, clad in red and green, leapt at him, aiming a jumped kick at his head. The masked man evaded it easily and punched the teen in the stomach, sucking the air right out of his lungs and leaving gasping for air on the floor.

"Tsk, tsk… It's not polite to interrupt people when they talk Robin..." He said as he him up and attached the chains to the ground a few meters away from the large stone seat. Robin, who now had both armed trapped in a large metal cylinder linked to a metal collar to his throat, all the while anchored to the large stone slabs, shot a glare at the villain at these words. He cursed himself internally for having been so stupid and getting caught so easily, then his thoughts focused on his friends and he worried about them, hoping they were fine.

"You will not succeed Slade, never !" He then told the masked villain who had sat back in his seat. The man did not respond and simply turned his head towards the teen. Robin could feel his wicked smile, almost savoring their crushing defeat already.

"We'll see Dick, we'll see…" _How- ? _Started the teen, but his thoughts were interrupted by a loud explosion outside. Despite the fact that the opening was far away from the throne-like seat one could clearly see outside and Robin saw the sky light up with a red glow before faint shouts from the battle came to his ears.


	3. Chapter 2 - The Hall

Well voici the second chapter of this great story ! :P

I hope it isn't too short for you guys, I just write and stop when I find the moment and the length appropriate but if you wish for longer chapters don't hesitate to ask, I can provide that ! ;)

Now, the next one should be out by tomorrow I hope, I'll start on it right away.

I hope you enjoy and sadly I still don't own Teen Titans (though maybe one day... ;) )

* * *

They had been planning this attack for a week now, devising the best strategy to take down their archnemesis and they had covered all angles, every detail. But of course it had to go wrong at the last moment. If someone had told Robin a month earlier that Slade would managed to get almost all the villains that had terrorized Jump City at some point under his banner he would have laughed. They were all evil and of course all self centered, preoccupied only by themselves and their benefits. So when the small group of the reconnaissance team he had sent to spy on the evil mastermind had returned with proof that at least thirty other villains had joined him he had not been able to believe his eyes nor his ears. It had taken the footage that Cyborg had recorded to finally make him acknowledge that this mission would be a lot more difficult then what he had originnaly thought. And taking into account that it was already highly improbable that they would succeed completely it now became nearly impossible. So Robin, with Raven's council and the rest of the Teen Titans' agreement, called in reinforcement. Every one of their old allies had been sent a call for help, most of them had responded immediately, other with a little delay, but the day before the plan was to be put into action almost every ally of the Teen Titans had answered their call, the group now amounted to about twenty teenagers.

Everything seemed to be back on tracks as they arrived near Slade's base and as they laucnhed their attack, they apparently even managed to surprise him and his men. But of course nothing ever goes according to plan and as teh sun was beginning to set on the horizon the fighting had already been going on for a few hours and almost no progress had been made. The numbers in Slade's ranks were overwhelming, and the real threat had not even come out yet. The Titans had managed to almost get across the huge field serrounding the citadel and to reach the outer walls when the villains, who were seemingly waiting patiently for them to exhaust themselves against the army of Slade bots, came out to meet them on the battlefield. From then on everything went downhill. The Teen Titans and their allies were exhausted and got pushed back and Raven disappeared as she was fighting Malchior. Then Robin got captured by Adonis and he was taken back to the citadel as a new wave of bots pushed forward, leaving no time to rest to the Titans. He was recalling all this as he watched Slade calmly paced in front of his throne.

"So, it seems your little plan isn't working so well, is it ?" Taunted the masked man as he looked at the teen, seemingly amused. Robin gritted his teeth, as one of the commanders of the Titans he could not believe how he could've let his guard down and gotten captured so easily.

"Anyways." Continued Slade. "You know they are going to fail, you have already failed. So why not ease the pain and join me Dick ? You and me, together, we could accomplish so many things…" The boy wonder shot him a dark glare before answering, still not understanding how the man could have discovered his true identity.

"I'll never work with you Slade, I believe in every Titan fighting out there. They will defeat your minions and we will defeat you !"

"My, my. Such faith. But do you really think they will prevail ? Do you really think you canbeat me ? After all these years, and I'm still around, aren't I." The tall man turned to face Robin and pointed outside. "Do you hear that ? The echoes of battle. Your friends are sacrificing themselves for you out there, but it's pointless, they will never succeed. They will be crushed like all the others before them…" He then leaned over to the teenager and approached his face next to his ear. "And even if they did manage to defeat my army outside, do you think they would be in time to save you ? Or that demon girl ?" As he mentionned Raven, Robin's head shot up.

"What did you do to her ?!" He shouted. Slade scoffed slightly before straitening up again.

"Don't worry, she is alive. For now… What is important is that if you refuse to cooperate with me it will be far too late if ever your 'little friends' get here." Robin let out a small sigh at the new of his comrade, at least she was alive he thought, they all had feared the worst.

"I believe in them Slade, I have faith and trust in my team because they are my friends. Something you apparently still don't get, they will come and we will defeat you !" He responded with a fierce expression on his face.

As he said that the mercenary kicked him in the stomach, sucking out all the air from the teenager's lungs and leaving him gasping for air. The villain then walked around him and kicked him again on the other side. The teenager was sprawled on the ground (as much as his shackles alowed him) and could feel ice spikes piercing his ribcage each time he tried to take a breath. He lay there, unable to move as the villain proceeded to hit him another four more times, all the while laughing, before sitting back on his stone seat.

"Ah, friendship." Slade started after his deep growly laugh had died down. "It's a fool's lie to himself my dear Robin. Friends drag you down, they are a hindrance, they make you weak. And weaknesses are dangerous when living as a hero. You should know that mor than anybody else here what emotions and bonds lead to, don't you Dick ?" Asked the masked man, taunting the Titan. Robin gritted his teeth and did not answer, shouting at him or asking how he knew his real name would be playing into his hand and he would definitely not play Slade's games !

"No answer ? Very well, do as you wish boy, you know it is the truth." Slade then turned over to one of the robots in the room. "Bring me the girl, this conversation lacks interest…"

Robin looked at him with an expression full of hate as one of the Slade Bots standing on the side of the room activated and walked out.


	4. Chapter 3 - The Boy Wonder

Here is chapter three as promised ! :)

Enjoy ! ;)

Ps: Yay, two followers ! :D Thanks guys !

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_He had been fighting side by side with Starfire against a dozen Slade bots and two of the super villains : Cinderblock and Dr; Light. They had been continuously dodging and striking for a few minutes, taking down half the bots and Dr. Light with an unexpected move from Starfire who had thrown two of the bots on the self proclaimed doctor. Only remained Cinderblock and the bots but as much as Robin wanted to take him down his attack were never very effective. He left the rock giant to Starfire, knowing her powers would be more effective against him and focused on the bots, taking another four of the down before Cinderblock downed the alien princess with a right punch and leaving her breathless on the ground._

_"Starfire !" He had decapitated one of the two remaining robots before running to his partner and taking her out of the way of a giant foot stomp from Cinderblock. "Are you okay ?" He had asked once they had rolled away from the villain. Starfire looked dizzily at him and took a few seconds to mutter an answer._

_"Yes Robin, I am fine." He had helped her get back on her feet and had turned his full attention back to Cinderblock._

_"Let's go Star !" They had both jumped directly at the giant and with a few well placed and coordinated attacks and taken him down, preventing him to get back up by pining him down with steel rope from Robin's belt. Unfortunately it didn't work for long as the giant was already trying to get back up and straining on the ropes. As one of them broke another dozen bots surrounded the two teens and focused on Starfire, unfortunately as Robin was about to jump at them to help her he was hit on the side by Adonis, clad in his super powered armor. Before he could get up the villain in red locked him on the ground with a kick, and broke a few of the boy wonder's ribs with a nasty crack. Robin groaned, drawing Starfire's attention._

_"Robin !" She shouted, jumping over the robots towards him only to be stopped by one of Cinderblock's arms that he had managed to break free. The giant ripped the rest of the steel cables and stood back up slowly as Starfire jumped again. But the giant interfered again, forcing her to slow down and allowing the bots to grab at her and to pull her back. She saw Adonis load the now unconscious leader of the Titans on his shoulder and run back towards the huge stone building._

_"ROBIN !" She shouted again breaking free of the bots, wrecking half of them in one shot as anger slowly rised inside her. Cinderblock threw himself at her, forcing her to once again back off. She snarled at him and grabbed his leg, managing to lift him up and throwing him on the side. But as the way cleared it was already too late, Adonis had almost reached the gates. The bots once again jumped at her, soon joined by a third wave, and overpowered her. Bumblebee then jumped in, taking down to of the bots at the same time and giving a quick moment of recovery to Starfire. She looked back towards the citadel but the boy wonder could not be seen anywhere. She roared and tried to fly to him but Bumblebee called her before she could do anything._

_"Dont Star ! You can't go after him now, you won't make it to the doors on your own !"_

_"But- !" Started to object the red haired alien as the black girl with wings flew to her._

_"You can't. We have to do this together or we won't make it. Think about Robin's plan, we need to stay together !" Starfire looked down, utterly dejected. How could she have let him get captured right under her nose ? She was about to let her tears flow when Bumblebee put a hand on her shoulder._

_"Don't worry, we'll get him back. But for now we have to work together, understood ?" Starfire nodded._

_"I know friend Bumblebee but I couldn't do anything… What if he gets hurt because of me ? What if he dies ? I couldn't live with that…"_

_"No ! He will be fine, we have to believe in him ! But now we need your help, Slade's army has the upper hand right now so snap out of it and fight them ! That is the only way to save him."_

_"Yes. I will do the fighting then to save friend Robin !" Said Starfire with a determined look on her face. And as Cinderblock and risen back up again and was coming back towards her she jumped towards him and pounded the rock giant ferociously as the other girl took off to smash the remaining Slade bots around them._

_As she looked around the girl dressed in black and yellow saw that each Titan was fighting with their all, tearing through the bots and pushing back the villains. Water and arrows flew all around, thunder fell down as a flash of yellow circled though the enemy ranks, destabilizing them and pushing them into each other. Energy trails lit the now darkening battleground, portals sucked in enemies from time to time and a young girl turning into diamond was wielded around by a huge man who took down bots with apparent ease. But despite all this the enemy still kept coming at them and they were constantly outnumbered by Slade's forces. Could they win? Bumblebee wasn't sure anymore. With Robin by their side it seemed possible, but now? With Raven nowhere to be seen two of their greatest assets were gone. But green flashes caught her eye on the right. She saw Starfire viciously taking down Slade bots and at the same time overpowering Cinderblock. No, they had to believe in each other. They could do it and she was going to see their plan through! With renewed motivation she launched herself back into battle, appearing behind Mammoth as he was trying to surprise an already busy Aqualad and whacking him on the head with her B shaped weapons._


	5. Chapter 4 - The Daughter of the Demon

Guess what ?! :D Yes ! Chapter four is here ! :P

**GS Girl** : Thank you for the first review (! :D) and the encouragement ! :D Don't worry, the rest of the chapters will be here soon, I've decided to try and publish one per day (at least ;) ).

Also thanks to the five followers, I'm really pleased and happy that this story gets appreciation ! :)

Now, I'll stop ranting and bugging everyone (even though if you're not interested by what I'm saying you may have skipped this part already) and I'll leave you to do the reading of this new chapter, enjoy ! ;)

* * *

The teenage hero looked up as the doors of the huge hall opened again and two bots entered carrying a semi-conscious Raven. They tied her to the chains on the wall directly in front of Robin. He had had time to think during the few minutes the machine guards had been gone as Slade had sat back down on his throne and had awaited their return. Apparently he had been deep in his thoughts too because as soon as they came in he rose to his feet again, taking his fingers off his chin.

"Ah ! The demon's daughter has arrived !" Said Slade with obvious delight. The dark-haired girl looked up to him with a heinous glare but she did not respond to his obvious provocation. Robin could see had cuts all over her face and her body, her leotard and her cape were in pieces and she still seemed to be of it a bit even though she was conscious. What happened for her to get so badly beaten up ? He thought as Slade walked towards her. Apparently the masked villain knew the answer as he scoffed and mocked her again.

"Well; he seems to have beaten you up quite badly… Did you hesitate to fight him or are you simply too weak ?" This time Raven not only shot him a glare but she also spits on his face.

"Oh that is not wise girl…" He replies, heavily slapping the dark Titan in the face with the back of his hand. Robin could see blood dripping from her mouth as Slade took a step back and wiped his mask. The teenager let out a growl at the tall man but Slade did not react and kept his back too him.

"So, tell me Raven, or should I call you Rachel ?" The girl shot her head up, still glaring, she looked at him with a neutral expression but Robin knew she must have been thinking the same as him. How the hell had Slade learned about their secret identity ? And an even worse thought came to him : had he done anything with that information ? As the leader of the Teen Titans was about to analyse the possibilities that this leak of info offered he was cut off by Slade's voice.

"What is your plan in coming here ?" If he had picked up on the two allies' thoughts or intentions he didn't show it. "What makes you so confident that your foolish attempt to take me down will succeed ?" She did not answer and simply kept glaring at the villain, not wavering under his cold and hard gaze.

"You know" He started again after a few seconds of silence as he also started pacing in front of the dark girl. "I like to consider myself a patient man, after all I waited years to get to know all of you and to take you down. But, you know" He stopped about two feet from the place where Raven was chained, his back to hers. " I really don't like when people try to test this patience !" e shouted, turning back had throwing a hard punch at the girl. He hit her in the stomach and, for an instant, Robin could see the pain showing on her face before she put her neutral mask on. She had simply let out a muffled groan but the boy wonder was sure she had barely managed to stay conscious and put on her poker face again.

He knew how strong and well placed the villains punches were and was amazed at his comrade's resistance. Then the masked man hit her again, in the same spot, and this time she couldn't help but leat out a shout. The masked teenager pulled on his chains in anger.

"I will kill you Slade !" He shouted. The said person turned towards him and simply laughed.

"And how exactly will you do that ?" He asked in an amused tone before hitting the young woman again. This time she did not shout but still groaned, her face now betraying the intense pain she was feeling. "You are powerless right now…"

"We are not powerless…" She croaked, spitting blood on the ground. As Slade turned back towards her she quickly shot a look at Robin, making him understand that she can handle the pain and that they must not talk. The masked villain hits her again making her double over in pain, only the chains maintained her standing.

"Stop !" Shouted the teenager with another glare as the dark girl couched more blood.

"Why ?" Simply asked Slade, turning towards Robin. The teenager could feel him gloating under his mask. " Are you going to make me ?" The tall man walked back to his throne and opened a metal box that Robin hadn't noticed before.

He took out a pair of chain mail gloves and put them on over his black leather ones. He then silently walked back towards the dark girl, Robin could feel her apprehension but he said nothing. He watched silently as the man stopped before the girl and put his right hand on her head, who tried to jerk it of but he held on.

"This is a new gadget that I had made not too long ago. I've never tried it but I'm dying to…" Slade announced as he cracked his neck and breathed out. Anyone else might have thought he was nervous at the idea of what he was about to do but Robin knew better. Slade was never nervous, he was always sure of himself and never back down, he was simply enjoying himself. There was silence for a few seconds and then Raven tensed and opened her eyes wide, she was gritting her teeth as every muscle in her body was being strained by the pain. When Slade took his hand of her head she slumped down and seemed to relax a bit, though Robin could see he shivering.

What was that ? He thought, but he didn't have time to take a guess as Slade spoke again.

"You are quite strong girl, that I must admit… But are you strong enough ?" As he said that he put his hand on her head again, grabbing her hair and making her look at him. Raven tensed again but this time it seemed too much and she opened her mouth, letting out a piercing scream of pain.


	6. Chapter 5 - The Monster Behind the Mask

Okay, so here is chapter five! :P

You'll probably (or probably not) notice it's a bit longer (just a tad though) than the others, that's because I had the scene in mind and I couldn't afford to cut it in two parts in the middle, it would've not felt quite right and both chapters would've been far too short...

Anyways, I wanted to thank **Dark Sides** for the encouraging review and **BBRae** for the comment on the punctuation. I know about the no space policy before exclamation and the question marks but I have the habit of adding a space (since in French you do put a space before them) but I try and I hope I succeeded a bit better in this chapter that in the ones before! (- see that?! xP). Thank you for reviewing and I hope you'll all like what I have in store for the next chapters! ;)

The thing is I wasn't sure how I was going to end all this when I started the first chapter but now I think I've got it, let's just hope I finish thinking it up in time to write it and that it'll be as good as I hope!

Okay, I'll stop talking now and leave you to it, enjoy! :D

PS: Six followers now, aw yeah! x)

* * *

Robin could see tears running down her cheeks as she slumped down once again.

"Well that seems to be a successful experiment…" Commented the villain joyfully. Robin was glaring at him, preferring not to make any rude comment to prevent the evil mastermind from letting off his steam by hurting his friend. But he didn't have to as the dark girl raised her head once more, glaring furiously at the man torturing her, a small smirk growing on her lips. Raven don't! Wanted to shout the young man, realizing what she was about to do, but he knew even if he did it would not stop her. Nor Slade from hurting her again.

"Oh… I'm way stronger than you Slade !" She spat at him with a wicked smile. The tall man turned back to her and stared at her through his mask for a mere few seconds, though it seemed like an eternity to the boy wonder. Then, ever so slowly, and Robin was sure he had the same smile as Raven plastered on his face as he was doing that, he raised his arm again and placed it on the dark girl's head. The he approached his masked face from hers and spoke almost inaudibly.

"Are you ?" The he straightened up and his right arm tensed before he shouted. "THEN LET'S SEE HOW STRONG YOU ARE EXACTLY!".

Robin saw his friend tense, everything happening in slow motion, he saw Raven's smile fade and be replaced by pure pain. Then came the scream. The first one had betrayed true pain and almost broken the Dark Knight's apprentice's spirit but this one was truly horrifying. It filled the room completely, eclipsing everything else, everything was screaming and pure pain. Robin could feel his friend's pain as if he was in her place, he didn't know how someone could survive this nor how a human being could do that to another… But Slade wasn't human, he was a monster, a monster who didn't hesitate to kill or torture when it was in his interests. Robin felt anger rise inside him, a rage he had felt several times when the other Titans had been in danger or hurt. He had always had problems controlling his anger, a feeling of hate that had been inside him ever since his parents were brutally murdered. Batman had taught him that it was not always possible to keep it inside but that you could use it to your advantage, focus the flow on your enemy. That is why him and raven felt so alike and were close, they both had a brutal side to them that they tried to keep at bay but that sometimes threatened to blow.

"NOOOO !" Screamed the teenager, his mouth wide open as he gave voice to his hatred for Slade, swearing he would kill him when he had the chance. He was pulling on his chains, trying to jerk them off, not caring if it broke every bone in his body in the process. Then silence fell again in the room. Raven slumped down once more, her head fell down and she didn't move. Robin couldn't see if she was still breathing but he hoped and prayed she was, he couldn't lose any of them, the Titans were his family and he was supposed to protect them! What a great leader he was, here, chained to the ground unable to save his friend from their enemy… He let himself fall on his knees, following the example of the dark girl. He kept looking at her, trying to detect any sign of life until Slade walked past him again and sat back on his throne, taking off the gloves and putting them back in the box.

After a few very long seconds he spent looking at the tall man with pure hatred in his eyes he turned his head back towards the demon girl and then looked outside towards the place the battle took place. Something clicked in his mind. He was helpless. Right now he couldn't do anything, he was powerless before their nemesis. But he was not alone. He was never alone, that is what he had repeated to each of them when they had doubted their purpose.

"You are not alone," He had said once as they were all depressed by the life they could never have. "We are not alone, we are a family and we have each other. Never, you hear me, NEVER let anyone make you think you do not belong in this world. We are friends and together we are the powerful Teen Titans." That little speech hadn't had the effect he had hoped but he could see that his friends were a bit more cheerful during the next few days.

He had to believe in them. Being the leader did no mean he had to assume everything, he could count on them too Starfire had once told him. He still did not quite understand how she could have such a good insight on what he thought. His trail of thoughts was cut off by Slades low voice.

"So, what are you going to do now, 'boy wonder'?" He asked. Robin tensed again at his mocking comment, looking up at his nemesis, but did not answer and looked down again.

"What? Nothing to say…?" Wondered Slade with fake surprise. The teenager could sense the pleasure he was taking in torturing him emotionally.

"I'm not…" He muttered in response.

"What was that?" Asked the masked villain sounding amused.

"I'm not going to stop you Slade…" Repeated the young man. "I won't need to…" He looked at the masked man and let a mocking smile spread across his face. Slade cocked his head to the side, unsure for the first time of the teen's reaction.

"What do you mean?" He asked, his eyes narrowing behind his mask.

"You've made a great mistake by harming her Slade…" The boy wonder said in a confident tone, taking the villain once again by surprise, thought he didn't show any sign. Slade then started laughing.

"Hahahaha! You still believe in justice my dear Robin? What a fool you are if you think your friends will come to help you, to save her."

"I don't think, I know Slade…" Retorted Robin, looking straight at him. "You've hurt her and now he knows…" Slade looked uncertain for a second. "You should know better than anyone what happens after that…". The villain understood what the young man had meant and laughed again.

"You think the Beast will save you? You must be desperate Robin! I defeated it, I crushed that boy!" He responded, disdain evident in his tone. "I outsmarted you! I captured your most powerful comrade after crushing the Beast! I over powered the alien princess and out brained the machine man! I defeated the Teen Titans, don't you see that? It's over for you now…" He exclaimed, walking to the teenager and kicking him with each sentence, laughing like a madman. Robin flew in the air by a few centimeters with each kick. Once the villain stopped and his laughter died he knelt beside the teenager. The leader of the Titans coughed blood as Slade grabbed him by the hair and lifted his head.

"So, what do you have to say to that? None of you can defeat me boy." Robin couched again, blood dripping in a thin from the corner of his mouth. He laughed weakly as he looked at Slade once more.

"You still don't get it… Slade?" He managed to say, heaving with difficulty. "Do you still not understand-" He coughed again and breathed in before continuing. "What the Teen Titans means ?"

"And what might that mean then?" Slade asked, more ironical than curious, as Robin could imagine him smiling once more under his mask. Slade stared at the teenager for a few seconds and then loosened his grip on the boy wonder's hair, letting his face hit the ground with a thud.


	7. Chapter 6 - The Green Boy's Feelings

Hey all! :)

I won't say much today because I'm really late for my bus and I have to go so to make it quick : thanks to all of you who follow this soty, who leave reviews and who take the time to express their appreciation, you have no idea how happy that makes me!

Thank you to all of you readers! :D

I really hope you enjoy this chapter, next one up tomorrow as usual, I gotta run now, see ya! :P

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The battle raged around him, guns firing, swords clashing and powers coloring the sky, blowing up rocks and whizzing past him and yet he didn't react, he seemed unfazed by the turmoil going on all around him. It wasn't that Beast Boy couldn't move, true he was a bit beaten up, a few cuts rand through his body and a piece of his suit was torn off, but apart from that he wasn't hurt. He didn't want to move, or rather he didn't have the motivation to. He was still trying to process the fact that she was gone, that he would probably never see her again because she was probably… He tried to shake the sense of dread that was taking over but with little success. He had felt so helpless as he had seen the dark girl been thrown against the wall like a ragdoll by the powerful dragon. He lifeless body slumping down back to the ground and he couldn't do anything. Then to top it all Slade, their arch nemesis and greatest foe, had come himself to take her away with Malchior. The green teenager had felt rage surge through his body, he had jumped at the tall villain with a defiant roar and then everything had gone black. He remembered the pain of the hits he had taken, the smell of blood in his mouth and the evil laugh of Slade fading away in the distance. When he had woken up there was no trace of his comrade except a pool of blood where she had fallen after taking a heavy hit. Both the dragon and the villain had left him there, unconscious and beaten up. He had wandered from the spot where he was, on the edge of the forest, to the battle field itself but his legs had failed him and he had found himself kneeling on the ground, unable to move. Beast Boy was replaying the scene over and over again in his mind, trying to find out what he could've done to save her, blaming himself for every little action that had led her to go out there. He couldn't forgive Slade for what he had done but neither couldn't he forgive himself for his incapacity to help his friend when she most needed him. He cursed himself mentally, not even daring to hope she was still alive, for if she was not he would not be able to stand this life anymore. She was the only reason he had stayed in the first place, he had sensed from the first day that she was not as strong as she wanted everybody to think, on the inside at least.

Not to be confused, her powers were unimaginable, heck she could teleport anyone at the other end of the universe in a snap of her fingers. But on the inside he had seen her afraid and scarred, and he couldn't stand to leave her like that. He just had to make her smile, to make her happy, for reasons beyond him he couldn't stop himself from bugging her to make sure she was always included to the group. Over the time he had grown quite fond of her angered frown, he had never been more happy when he had seen her crack a smile, of course it wasn't merely as large as his, but it was genuine and that made his world brighter, if only just a bit. He could hardly take is eyes of hers when she looked at him and cursed himself each time for the half-second he lingered into the violet deeps, hoping she hadn't noticed. He knew when she was sad or distressed, he could smell those sorts of things just as she could feel them and, in these situations, he tried everything he could think of to take her mind of whatever made her unhappy. Over the time she had come to accept him a little, not being as harsh in her responses or in her beatings when he irritated her too much. It was a very slight change but the changeling had noticed it, welcoming the fact that she opened herself a bit more to her friends with great joy. Well concealed great joy of course, or so he hoped. In fact, if you had studied him a bit more closely as you asked him what she represented to him you would have felt the slight acceleration of his heart beat, the slight reddening of his cheeks and the ever so small intake of air he breathed in each time. And if you had been able to read his mind as he answered that she was 'a very good friend, one of his beat actually, isn't that true Rae?', you would've heard him simply say 'Everything'.

But that of course he would ever say out loud to her, out of fear that she would beat him to death or simply disintegrate him. He would have never had the insane idea to simply admit that maybe he felt more than friendship towards her, that maybe he yearned for something more. Never would he have seen himself pronouncing those three simple words, for they would either mean his instant death or his heart breaking into a gazillion pieces. Never. Well until that precise moment that is. Now that she was gone it was all he could think. I'm sorry Rae, so sorry… He felt a tear roll down his cheek. I'm such an idiot…_ How could I have not have had the courage to tell you when I had the chance?! I-_ He paused in mid thought, realizing that if he finished it he could never go back, if he formulated that thought he would have to live with it for the rest of his life with it in his heart. Maybe for the best but, he was sure, mostly the worst… But his heart swelled and he felt it crawling up his throat with cascades of tears. _No, it doesn't matter now, she is gone… I can't change that and it's no use torturing myself with all these what ifs when i know it would never happen, even if she was still here…_ He couldn't help the feeling he had she was gone, forever gone, and yet he couldn't stop hoping either. It wasn't overwhelming but he could feel it, deep in his heart, a small tinge of hope that maybe, just maybe, she was still alive somewhere.

These two contradicting feelings destroyed him. He couldn't let her go, accept that she was dead, just like this. But neither could he act on his desire to find out, he was trapped in his own body and it was unwilling to move.

That is when he knew. He couldn't help hoping, hoping that the girl he was continuously annoying and that kept beating him up both with her powers and her harsh remarks was still alive. He had know it for a long time now but it had taken him her disappearance and to almost formulate the idea to understand it. He was sure of it, what she meant to him and why he refused to let her go. But not yet, he couldn't say it yet, first he had to find her, then he would take his chance, it meaning instant death or not...

As he was lost in his thoughts the green teenager hadn't noticed his half man half machine friend kneeling next to him with a comforting hand on his shoulder. Neither had he heard his words which he wanted reassuring, he had been so preoccupied by all that was going in hi head that he had occulted everything around him. But as soon as it resounded throughout the battlefield it filled his years and he couldn't not notice it. The heart ripping sound resounded through his whole body and Beast Boy felt intense anger growing inside of him, he felt rage make his blood boil and he finally made sense of his cyborg friend's words.


	8. The Not Chapter

Hey all ! :)

No, this is indeed not a chapter, sorry to deceive you, I just wanted to update my story to get it back on the first page, niark niark niark ! :D

Nah, just kidding. I wanted to write this because yesterday I kinda posted the chapter and ran off like a thief and I didn't have time to say a few things. :)

Firstly, yes, thank you for asking, my evening went great yesterday ! :P I managed to catch my bus in time and am back today, completely motivated, to write the new one, it should be out sometime in the afternoon, France time, and any time in the day for the others. ;)

Anyways. So, what I wanted to say was that This story is going quite well in terms of writing, I have almost alle the ideas written down on paper so I can work quite fast compared to the other (We Are The Living, the crossover story I'm working on at the same time) and it should be about fifteen chapters long in total. Though it might be longer, I don't really know, depends how I decide to tell it and to finish it... I know how it goes approximately to the tenth chapter, then it's still a bit fuzzy so maybe i'll have to pause the writing a bit (I don't know yet) until I've written down everything.

Also I wanted to thank properly all the people who are following it, the count is now up to ten followers and a bit more than a thousand views in seven days! Thank you so much ! :D A big thank you to the people who took time to review it, it may not sem much but it really is something motivating and meaningful when you write a story to know people enjoy it and why. (And sometimes it helps to knew that you made mistakes so you can correct them in the future chapters... :P)

Finally I wantd to make a bit of advertising for my new story, We Are The Living. It's a crossover between the Teen Titans and my own universe, and will involve OCs that I imagined myself. I've been thinking about it for a long time and decided to really start writing recently, it will be a lot longer than this one and will take more time (at least for now) between each chapter (thought they will be longer). It will also involve monsters and super a complicated plot (nah! not so complicated in fact, but some surprises will pop up sometimes, I have to sell my ideas you know, it's all business here x) ). Anyways, if you are curious you can always go check it out, the link should be on my profile or it should be found in the crossover category with Teen Titans.

Now that's about all i had to say for the moment, thank you again for all those views and I hope you really enjoy reading as much as I do writing ! ;)

Stay tuned for chapter 8 ! See ya ! :D


	9. Chapter 7 - The Anger Inside (Part I)

Aaaand here is the new chapter as promised ! Yep it's short, I know... But as you may have noticed (like, so from the title) it's only one part out of two. The reason ? Well it would've been too long in proportion of the other if I had to add it (plus I really like to make you wait, niark niark !) and I've always liked cutting chapter into two parts! :P

But do not worry, the second part will be posted today too (unless I suddenly die of a heart attack or smth like that, which I dearly hope won't happen) as a 'surprise' for you guys!

Well okay, it's maybe not a great surprise but anyways, that's how it's going to go down because I said so! so stop complaining and read, you'll only have to wait a few hours at most. ;)

I hope you enjoy reading it (and also I hope you don't find the story too long, like it drags on for a while, because i really don't want it to be boring...) and I'll go go back to writing to finish the second part! x)

See ya later, alligator!

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The cyborg had just woken up when he saw the explosion. He had no idea how long he had been out but somehow he had managed to shut down in the middle of the fight. As his systems booted back up he looked around him and saw dismantled corpses of robots lying all around, a few of the East Titans fighting off the huge electric monster while the others were helping Speedy out of the whole he had been apparently buried in. He saw Starfire fighting Cinderblock alongside Bumblebee and a small smile crept along his face. Then he saw his best friend kneeling on the ground in the middle of the battleground and walked towards him, unable to run with only half his systems active. He quickly noted the absence of the Boy Wonder, which wasn't a good sign as he was always fighting alongside them (and usually close to the alien princess he thought with a smirk). If he wasn't anywhere and Starfire was so motivated to fight it could only mean he had been somehow taken by Slade. He cursed, first Raven had disappeared and now Robin was nowhere to be found, how could he have let these things happen? He almost hit himself for being so stupid but noticed he had arrived to Beast Boy's level. He looked at the green teenager and noticed he was still conscious but seemed out of it.

_Something went badly with the fight against Malchior_, he immediately deduced. He had seen the changeling run after the half demon before being knocked out and knew that if he was back alone it meant something had happened to her. He prayed inwardly that both his missing friends were fine and knelt beside his friend.

"B?" He asked putting a hand on his shoulder. The teenager did not answer. "Yo B, you in there?" He asked again, poking his friend's head. But there was still no answer. He sighed, what happened for him to be in that state. He switched spot to kneel right in front of Beats Boy and took both his shoulders this time, shaking him a little.

"Come on BB, you have to get up, they need our help!" He looked directly into his green friend's emerald eyes but they seemed glazed, liked he wasn't in his body at the moment. Not even the loud explosions of the battle all around them seemed to phase him though Cyborg was sure he could hear them as he almost felt his ears blowing to the amount of noise.

"Beast Boy!" Yelled Cyborg in his ears, shaking him harder than before. "You have to get up, we have to fight and take down Slade!"

As he had barely finished his sentence a loud and piercing scream coming from the huge building filled the battlefield. Cyborg's blood almost froze in his veins, he knew that voice. Dread filled him and he turned back to his friend, still seemingly unfazed by all this.

"Do you hear that?" He asked, his voice betraying hi fears. "Beast Boy, do you hear that?!" He exclaimed, now angry at his friend who didn't react. The tin man slapped the green teenager and to his relief he seemed to finally react. The changeling turned his head towards his tall half-man-half-machine friend and looked at him quizzically, not understanding what he was doing here.

"Listen Gar, listen! Do you hear that?!" Exclaimed Cyborg as he looked his friend in the eyes, shaking him out of his comatose state. The green young man listened to the sounds around him at the mention of his real name, and slowly, as in a dream, he focused on the one sound the tall cyborg wanted him to hear. He heard a scream, loud and full of pain, coming from a certain distance. It took him to register who's voice it was and where it came from, when it did, which seemed like an eternity after, his eyes went wide in shock. Cyborg saw his friend finally understood what was going on.

"Do you hear that buddy? You have to get up, we need you. She needs you!" The words seemed to float off, barely brushing against his mind, without having made their effect on the green teenager as he gave off no apparent reaction. But Cyborg knew he had understood as he had felt the slight frowning in his friend's brows and the tension building up in his shoulders. Cyborg had also sensed Beast Boy's heart skip a beat and he understood he was back. He put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder and smiled lightly.

"We need you man." He simply ads, still looking straight into the deep green orbs. He did not immediately pick up what emotions seemed to flow of the green teen's eyes but recognized one that he had rarely seen on the celadon face, anger. _No, scratch that, rage, _he thought. Usually the green teen was annoyingly cheerful, always the one to crack jokes when the mood was turning sour. He tried to avoid conflict as much as possible, preferring to joke about it than to face Raven's harsh comments with witty responses. But at that precise moment all his traits were tensed, his eyebrows were furrowed and his fists, which were already balled up, seemed to tighten even more. From Beast Boy's whole being seemed to emanate a fearless energy. What was the most surprising for the cyborg though, was the color of his eyes. Beast Boy's ordinarily green eyes had somehow turned darker, almost black, from the anger that coursed through his body, the seemed like the dark clouds roaming the skies before the storm. They seemed as dark as the night, like they were the only sign that betrayed his calm appearance before hell broke loose.


	10. Chapter 8 - The Beast Inside (Part II)

Et voila!

The second part as promised ! :P

Now, I'm not really sure about myself on this one, I might come back to it once I've cooled my head a bit 'cause I don't feel like I wrote it as well as I had imagined it...

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy reading it and don't hesitate to review, I would really like to know how you felt about this chapter in particular! :)

A big Thank You once more to all the people who follow and read this story, it make me so happy and excited!

Ooh! Apart from that, I finally mustered the courage to watch Doctor Who's 2013 christmas special, it was awesome! :D Sad, but awesome!

Next chapter tomorrow as always, nice readingto all of you. See ya! :)

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As realization finally dawned on the green boy a deep and dark voice echoed from deep inside him.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" It said in a mocking tone, almost laughing. Beast Boy's eyes shot up in surprise.

"Wha-" He began. Cyborg looked at him strangely and Beast Boy instantly knew he had been the only one to hear the voice. _But where had it come from then? _An as if it had been reading his thoughts the voice responded.

_'You still don't know?' _It asked, and the green teenager could feel the smirk behind the deep words. He had an idea, but how was it possible? That had never happened before… If it was possible he felt the mystery voice's smirk enlarge at his thoughts.

_'But that's impossible...' _he thought.

_'Nothing is impossible… You didn't answer my question, what are you going to do about it, Garfield?!' _Spoke the low voice again, a little louder, and this time Beast Boy could sense the anger and the animalistic urge behind the mocking. His instinct, and by the same way his fear, was immediately proved true. He closed his eyes and found himself in a dark space in his mind, surrounded by darkness and the presence.

_'I...' _He began, hesitating, not knowing himself how to respond…

_'WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?!' _The voice was now a roar and he could feel getting closer to him, almost absorbing him in the darkness.

As the presence yelled at him, images and memories flashed in his mind, the first time he had met the Titans, the first time Raven had laughed at his joke. The time she had been betrayed by the dragon, the intent to kill the dark creature he had felt at that time. The night Raven had comforted him after Terra's betrayal. Images of the dark girl smiling overlapped those where she was punishing him for his pranks but, when all those scenes had come and passed by only one remained engraved in his mind. One time she had come up to the roof to meditate and she hadn't seen him already sitting on the elevated platform over the door. She had lowered her hood and simply sat there, levitating under the night sky and the pale moon. All thoughts of pulling a prank on her had vanished as couldn't help but admired the moon rays lighting her delicate features (which at that moment he couldn't imagine anything else that calm and serene even if he knew how fierce she could be). He had stayed the whole night, just calmly looking at her, only moving back to his room as the sun was coming up in the sky. That day he had missed the training session imposed by Robin and had incurred his wrath and Raven's mockeries but, to their surprise, not even the overload of chores he had been tasked to do had been able to spoil his good mood. None of the other Titans had been able to come up with an explanation as to what had caused this sudden surge of happiness. Since that day the green Titan had never been able to take his mind off of the dark girl and her moonlit face. He had doubled his efforts to make her participate in the group activities and to get her out of her confinement in her room. And despite her harsh reactions, the inevitable beatings he would suffer, he never relented and had kept bugging her as much as he could.

He was there whenever she needed it (and unfortunately also when she didn't), keeping an eye on her during battle and even going as far as to become a monster to gain enough strength to protect her. All the while remaining a faithful friend to her even when his feelings had grown to much more than that and he wasn't sure he could contain them any longer. Yes, it had taken him a long time to realize it but he had loved her since the beginning, since he had laid his amazed eyes on his four new friends for the first time.

As this image remained he felt anger fill him up, rage surged through his veins and his blood started boiling. She meant so much more to him than any of the other could ever imagine (well, that was not exactly true, sometimes he had the feeling Cyborg knew what was going on in his mind, he mentally shook his head at the idea). He couldn't stand the fact that she was hurt and that he wasn't there for her although she needed his help. During the time he had been thinking about all that, the presence had gotten closer, it passed slowly behind his back, he could feel it's dark and heavy aura.

_'Okay...' _He thought, a determined look on his face.

_'What was that?' _Asked the voice, suddenly very serious.

_'Just this once… Let's do this…' _He thought again, more forceful this time. The green boy knew it was his only option if he wanted to help her, it was extremely risky but somehow he knew the creature he had tried to fight back for so long had the same goal as him. If he had not been so focused on taking down Slade, he would've blushed at the reason he was doing this.

_'You dream kid. We are bond together...' _The voice said, now in front of him and getting closer. _'But it seems you start to understand...' _That was when he saw the eyes. Two pure white spheres glaring at him. He heard it's heavy footsteps and closed his eyes as the creature approached, overwhelming him in it's darkness. He let the raw emotion take over him felt his body surge with energy. All this had happened in a mere second inside his head and so, to his cyborg friend, it looked as if he had suddenly decided to stop sulking and finally rejoin the fight.

The half-man half-machine man noticed the change when the dark his friend's dark eyes turned completely white. Cyborg took a step back as Beast Boy suddenly stood up, his body completely stiff with tension and looked at the sky. His whole body started to convulse as it started to expand. His chest became wider, his legs became longer and more muscled, his teeth grew and his face became longer more wolf-like. The cybernetic man understood what was happening when his friend's arms and hands grew in size and became huge clawed paws. He had already seen something similar to this when Beast Boy had turned into The Beast. He stepped back in shock, not knowing how to react. Should he intervene or if let the savage creature roam free? The creature now in the place of Beast Boy convulsed again, growing to a good three meters in height and its teeth and claws expending even more and becoming razor-sharp. The creature suddenly went still, it looked at the darkening sky with its white eyes and opened its large mouth. A deep and loud roar field the air, momentarily making the field silent as everyone stopped fighting to look at the creature in apprehension as it howled to the sky. It roared as loud as it could, wanting _him_ to know he was coming for her and that nothing would stop it. Even the great walls of the stone citadel seemed to shake. Then it turned towards Cyborg, he readied himself in a fighting position, unsure how the beast before him would act. But to his surprise it seemed to nod to him and jumped towards the citadel, running through the enemy ranks and taking them down with single strokes of its arms, growling madly.


	11. Chapter 9 - The Man and the Machine

Chapter 9 is here! :D (dangit, I've had to go and check to be sure, I thought this was number 10... :P)

Okay, so this chapter may not be very eventful I know but don't worry, some more interesting things are coming in the following ones! ;)

And maybe this story is going to be a bit longer than 15 chapters in the end because I have quite a few ideas that I haven't added yet and I believe they will take some space... :P

I don't have much more to say except that I want to thank you for following this story, and i'll leave you to read the chapter now. Enjoy! ;)

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When Cyborg saw his friend start to convulse he didn't know how to react. Then the green teenager started to grow in size and his body covered itself completely in hair. He saw his teeth grow to become long razor sharp fangs and knew what was going on. He had already seen this before and it hadn't turned out well. He was about to do something when his transformed friend had let out a deafening roar, stunning the whole battlefield momentarily. The creature had turned to him and he was sure he had seen it give him a small reassuring look before running off towards the huge building before he could react.

"What the-?" He started but couldn't finish.

He didn't have time to linger and think as he remembered the reason he had shaken Beast Boy out of his daze. He turned around, searching for the alien princess and saw her viciously fighting the rock giant alongside Bumblebee. He quickly checked his systems. Seventy percent had been recovered. Enough to help her out, he thought. The tall Titan started running towards her and took out three of the Slade bots that were about to attack her from behind as she punched Cinderclock once more, with such strength it threw him off his feet and he stayed down

"Wow, nice punch!" He exclaimed with a smile as Starfire touched down on the ground again. She turned towards him and a smile crept up on her face too.

"Oh! Friend Cyborg, you are awake and fine! This is glorious!" She yelled, hugging him tightly.

"Yeah." Said the cyborg; chuckling. "I'm fine awake Star. Not really fine right now, my systems were damaged, but it'll be okay!" He added quickly, seeing a frown replace her smile. An explosion surprised them on the right, they quickly turned around to see what had caused it. They found a smirking Bumblebee tugging her weapons away and half a dozen, or at least what was left of them, lying in pieces on the ground.

"Quite tough these tin men…" She simply commented as she stood next to them. Cyborg laughed slightly. "What was that just now?" Asked the black girl looking at him. The Tamarean princess turned towards the half-machine man too.

"Yes friend Cyborg, was that…" She couldn't finish her sentence, her worry evident.

Cyborg breathed deeply before answering.

"Yeah Star." He sighed. "It was BB… Or at least it was him until he turned…" Starfire shot an anxious look towards where she had last seen the green titan and Bumblebee made it clear she was lost.

"Um… what are you talking about?" Cyborg turned back to her and with a cringe explained the situation.

"It's complicated but to make it short Beast Boy was somehow transformed into a vicious beast, like a werewolf, some time ago. He kept destroying everything on his path. We managed to help him and found a way to transform him back but the Beast is still there, inside him and when he gets angry he lets it loose…And let's say right now he is very angry."

"Oh…" Simply answered, shock evident on her face.

"But… something was different this time…" Said Cyborg, more to himself than for the others, Starfire looked at him with a quizzical look.

"What might you mean?" She asked.

"Well, he transformed right after… well you know, we all heard it…" He explained, his eyes betraying his anger. "But it seemed he somehow had control over it, like if he wasn't completely gone… It's weird really, but I could've sworn he nodded at me before running off…" He added.

"Yes, this is strange indeed…" Muttered Starfire. Bumblebee looked as if she was deep in thoughts.

"So, the… the scream" She started uneasily. "That was Raven?" Cyborg nodded darkly at her, hoping she and Robin were alright.

"And you say Beast Boy only… um… 'turns' when he really is angry?" Cyborg nodded again. Then, something he didn't expect, a small smile crept on the winged girl's face. She quickly hid her smirk but it seemed like she had understood something that he had missed.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"Nothing…" She replied a bit too fast, which made him even more suspicious. But he didn't have time to push her for answer as she whipped around suddenly.

"Well, let's go then!" She exclaimed, giving Cyborg a playful wink. "Our friends need our help and we have lost too much time already!" She took off in direction of Aqualad who was struggling with Overload. Cyborg turned to Starfire once more, about to tell her something, but suddenly stopped himself when he saw tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Star?" He asked. She quickly wiped her tears and hid behind a smile, but the cyborg could clearly see it was fake. "You okay?"

"Yes!" She exclaimed with too much spirit to be real. But she quickly dropped her act as she saw Cyborg's serious look. "No… I don't know friend… I have no physical injury, but it still hurts…" She started sobbing lightly as Cyborg brought her closer into a hug.

"They'll be fine Star, we'll save them. Robin is not our leader for nothing and Raven can defend herself. Plus we're still here to fight aren't we? We can't give up before we even try, girl!" The alien princess hugged him in return, her sobbing slightly fading away. "We'll get them back, I promise! But we need to be strong Star."

"Yes!" She exclaimed, straightening up and wiping away her tears. "I shall be strong, friend Cyborg, for Robin and Raven!" Cyborg gives her a small smile.

"Good, now i want you to go help Beast Boy. He will need your help." He said before wincing slightly as an electrical discharge ran through his body.

"Are you okay friend?" Asked Starfire, a concerned look on her face.

"Yeah. My systems were a bit damaged earlier, though I don't remember how. I have to make some repairs and recharge myself but I'll be fine Star. Meanwhile you have to go to Beast Boy, I'll manage, don't worry!"

could see she was hesitating to leave him alone.

"Go Star, I'll be fine." He smiled reassuringly. "Go!" And so the Tamarean nodded slowly and after another quick hug took off to the green Titan.

Cyborg looked around, trying to suppress the constant beeping he could hear, signaling he was almost about to shut down again. He needed to find a way to charge his batteries and fast, otherwise he wouldn't last long out in the open like that. He felt defenseless. True he was half machine and that could be a great advantage but it also meant he worked like a machine and if he ran low on battery he had to recharge himself immediately, he couldn't afford to push it as far as a normal person. Plus he couldn't use any of his weapon in this situations and it wasn't like his metal skin would protect him for long if Cinderblock woke up again. Looked around and decided he had to get away from the battlefield to get a clear view and maybe, maybe then he would be able to find a solution to his problem. And who knew, he might even come up with a plan. The tall black man covered in electronics sighed as he slowly walked away from the stone giant still lying on the ground, his uncertainty of making it out of this alive growing by the second.


	12. Chapter 10 - The Witch and the Speedster

Hey guys, so here is the new chapter! ;)

Yeah, I'm a bit late (it's actually Sunday where I am so that means that the chapter due for Saturday is late...) but I wrote a bit more than the others and I really couldn't post it before now so, sorry! Though I'm sure you won't mind... :P Seeing as there willl still be another chapter coming out before Monday, which means two chapters in one day, aren't you lucky? x)

Anyways, I know I must be killing you with the suspens (or not x) ) but I wanted to add this little moment here :P

As always thank you to all the followers (13 now! :D) and the readers that take time to read this amazing (? :P) story and escpcially to **JasonVUK** this time for all his reviews! :D Thank you a lot!

Okay, I'm shutting up and leaving you to the actual reading now, hope you enjoy! ;)

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Kid Flash was zipping through the battlefield, hitting and destabilizing any opponent who got in his way and helping his friends when they were in danger. He didn't really like fighting, not with the exchange of hits, he preferred running. He was supporting the team of Titans as a whole, watching their backs as much as scouting the enemy, it suited him best. No, he definitely preferred running, he felt a lot more free with his feet taking him wherever he wanted to be. Any commitment, even as small as choosing one opponent, was something he was very uneasy with. So, as the sun was setting on the horizon he ran. Just like always, it was the only thing he knew how to do well. He kept running, on and on, never looking back. Just as he had done all his life. Even after all those years he didn't know if he was running to or from something anymore, he never settled long anywhere, that was one of the reasons he had left the Flash. Staying in the same place too long meant getting attached to people and tat hurt too much, he couldn't do that anymore. So, he ran, always and towards nowhere. Well at least he thought he did so, always run to someplace new, until he came back that is. At first it was supposed to be a temporary replacement while the Teen Titans were away, he was to look after the city until they came back and then let them take the matter back in their own hands and leave to another place where his help was needed. He did leave, that wasn't the question. What was unexpected was for him to come back to Jump City. Occasionally, it was true, he liked to come back and see how his friends were doing. But that was never after just a week. Never had he thought that he would be coming back so soon, and certainly not for such a stupid reason. The titans had welcomed him back with joy and let him stay at the tower, even going as far as wanting him to become part of the team. But he had refused, being a honorary Titan was good enough for him, at least that's what he had said, his freedom was too precious for him to accept even though he was flattered. Of course he couldn't tell them he was back only to understand why he couldn't get _her_ out of his mind…

As soon as he had seen Adonis run past him he had known something was wrong. The guy in the red power up suit never turned down a fight and he was certainly not the type to let anyone in his reach get away from him. So when he ran by Kid Flash without even a single look at him or at the other Titans the young speedster knew something was off. Of course it wasn't until he saw that same red suite pass through the gates with and unconscious Robin on the shoulder that he understood what had gone wrong. Immediately he took off after them but he was slowed down by the numerous attacks whizzing and exploding all around him as he ran and when he arrived in front of the gates they were already closed. Of course closed gates wouldn't have stopped him in normal circumstances but these were protected by magic and the group of villains guarding them would have at least sounded the alarm if not stopped him or slowed him down if he ever had attempted to go through. And that was something he absolutely didn't want, it would only worsen the situation. So he went around the walls and managed to find a way in the form of a wall only guarded by a dozen Slade bots. _Perfect!_ He had thought with a smile as he ran up and took them down in a mere three seconds. Of course it wouldn't give him much time, as soon as they would be discovered he would be in it deep, he had to do that fast. So he ran up to the door, managing to get past Kyd Wykkyd who was once more flying out of the citadel, and entered it. He didn't know the layout of the building though fortunately for him he was fast, and I mean really fast. He covered the two underground floors and the first one in a mere five minutes, taking his time to check every door and cell for eventual allies, thought he saw no sign of life. He was moving on to the second floor when he saw the first villain since he had entered the citadel. he quickly phased through the wall before she turned towards him.

_Damn it! Why did it have to be her!_ He cursed, not believing his bad luck at a time like this. He put hi ear to the wall, listening attentively to the light footsteps in the hall. They got closer and as she was about to pass the room a horrible scream echoed throughout the whole building. Kid Flash recognized the voice of a certain usually bad tempered Titan and tightened his fists in anger, knowing she needed his help and he had to act fast. But, as the scream's echoes vanished into the air and before he had time to do anything the wall behind him blew up in a purple wave of energy. He quickly evaded the large chunks of wall that fell down where he was standing a second earlier and as the smoke cleared faced Jinx's evil smirk.

"Well well, look at what we have here…" She said in a mocking tone. _Oh no!_ He cursed as he saw the smirk on her face turn into a mask of anger. "Why in the seven hell do I always run into you?! Why do you keep bugging me?!"

He swallowed his saliva with some difficulty as he saw her hands glow purple. Apparently she hadn't liked all the times he had prevented her and her gang from committing a crime. Fortunately for him his super powered brain popped with an idea very quickly and he smirked back at the young purple haired villain.

"Well hello there, hot stuff." He said, moving fast towards her and leaning on the wall, managing to keep calm. She rolled her eyes, clearly unnerved and glared at him.

"Answer me, why are you always in my way?!" She demanded, pointing her hand at him. His smirk stayed though his body was ready to move as soon as she threw her attack.

"That's for me to know hot stuff…" He answered cryptically, his smirk getting even bigger as her glare intensified.

He had barely said that, that he was already running all around the room, avoiding all the magical projectiles she was launching at him at once. The Titan managed to evade most of them without any difficulty, only straining his body to get out of the way of a particularly big jinx that she threw at his face. Then he felt a sharp pain in his right leg and stumbled on the ground, falling and hitting his back on the wall behind him. She smirked victoriously and walked to him as he tried to get back up, preparing two more jinxes in her hands.

"Tell me!" She demanded again, effectively trapping him against the wall and visibly unnerved by his smirk.

"Certainly not, princess!" He laughed back, not parting from his poker face. What he was doing was extremely risky but he knew if he succeeded, victory would be his.

"I am NOT your princess!" She spat back at him almost jinxing him into dust. But before she could do it he looked down and mumbled something that she couldn't hear. Fortunately for him, she let her curiosity take over.

"What was that?" Jinx demanded once more. _Man, she really acts like one! _Chuckled Kid Flash interiorly before doing what might be the act that would seal his death sentence.

He looked back up at her, taking a seconds to contemplate her violet orbs, and his smirk got even larger, if that was possible. Then he did something she had never expected him to do, it happened so fast she didn't have time to react. He grabbed her arms and turned around so that she was now with her back to the wall and he was facing her, trapping her hands over her head with one of his. With his other hand Kid Flash did something he had thought of doing for a long time, something he had not been able to get his mind off as he had left the city for the first time. Something that had haunted him and that had made him come back. He cupped her cheek with his free hand and, not even letting her time to process what was happening, kissed the purple witch passionately. The kiss lasted only a few seconds but it seemed like an eternity to the young speedster, a feeling that was quite new to him as everything usually went fast when he was around. By the time he let her go she had closed her eyes and started to kiss him back. When his lips left hers he almost surrendered to the impulse of letting them crash against hers once more, but the time wasn't right, he had a mission to accomplish. So he simply leaned in, his mouth brushing her ear and sensually whispered to her.

"I said, you _are_ my princess…" Her eyes shot open and widened in shock as she finally started to register what had just happened. Finally Kid Flash straightened again and, letting her hand go, he ran out of the room as fast as lightning, turning back only as he passed through the hole in the wall to look one last time at her completely stunned face.


	13. Chapter 11 - The Beast's Voice

Okay, so here is chapter eleven guys! :P (or at least I think it's number eleven, I lost count here...)

I'm sorry to have to tell you this capter ends on a cliffhanger. (Don't hate me! :P I don't do it often anyways...) I really wanted to finish the part in BB's head but I'm really tired and I have to get up early tomorrow... And it would've doubled the length of the chapter anyway, 'cause I have to add another scene right after that to really make it awesome... So, you'll have to wait 'til the next day for the rest of this scene x)

I really hope you'll enjoy reading it, thank you all once more for the following and the reviews, enjoy! :D

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He was running as fast as he could, slashing, biting and throwing out of his way anyone or anything who tried to stop him. He jumped over the robots that had aligned themselves to protect the main gate and propelled himself against the large wooden doors. Unfortunately they were reinforced and magically protected, they would not be taken down as easily as they appeared. Beast Boy jumped to the side, evading attacks from the robots and a blow coming from the top of the wall. He leaped at the robots and proceeded to tear them apart, leaving only scraps in mere seconds. As he was separating the last mechanic limbs from their body he was once more attacked and noticed Kyd Wykkyd flying in circles above him. He looked at him and growled at the teenage villain. As he disappeared in a dark portal a reappeared from behind him the Beast hesitated. For an instant he had seen the dark girl he was willing to do anything for. But as Kyd smiled and turned around quickly, throwing the sharp tip of his cape at his face, the wolfish traits of the Beast turned back to anger as he growled and jumped away from his opponent. The gates opened and Adonis and Billy Numerous walked out, the latest duplicating himself on a dozen copies of himself. They were now surrounding the Beast and one of the Billy Numerous smirked.

"Well, you may be powerful but we are more… Numerous!" He laughed at his own joke, though not for long as Adonis sent him a deadly glare. The three villains, and all of Billy's duplicates, turned back to the green Titan and prepared themselves to attack. The Beast crouched, tensed in a jumping position, and as Adonis attacked first he jumped back, escaping the punch and throwing back three of Billy's clones. The man in the red powered suit turned back to him and with another smirk he attacked again, this time anticipating the dodging from the Beast and forcing it to jump again from only one foot. The green Titan growled as he flew over Adonis, catching as he landed behind him and throwing him into a group of clones, effectively pinning them down. He took down four more Billys and threw them on Adonis who was trying to get up, earning loud groans from the clones trapped under him as he fell on them again.

Unfortunately he didn't see the dark portal open on his side until the moment where Kyd Wykkyd appeared out of it at spun around disappearing almost immediately back into it and leaving a deep cut into the furry side of the Titan. He growled at the sudden pain and stumbled back before he god kicked in the back by the dark villain and fell face first on the ground. As he got up he noticed that both the Billys and Adonis were getting back up and were once more circling around him. He roared at them ferociously, making them take a cautious step back.

_'You know, it won't work like that...' _Echoed the deep voice in his head as he jumped sideways to evade a tree that Adonis had uprooted and thrown at him.

_'Shut up!'_ Responded the Teen, shouting his thought at the creature. Whenever Beast Boy had transformed or had been confronted with it, he had always found himself in a dark place of his mind and could only hear the Beast Inside, as it liked to call itself, slowly moving in circles around him, sometimes far away and sometimes very close. It was like a starless night with only a ray of light pointed at him and nothing else, and endless surface as dark as the atmosphere around him. _'I won't let you take over, I have to hurry, I don't have time to argue with you. Just help me already!'_

_'You still don't understand, kid...' _Said the mocking voice. Beast Boy saw a flash of light on his right but by the time he looked it had disappeared and the sound had moved to his left. He could have sworn he had seen a long and sharp white fang. It was always like this, every time he thought he had his eyes on it and in its direction, it would disappear only to appear again behind him.

_'Oh I do understand!' _He exclaimed back. _'Don't you think I can't smell your killing intent? Your thirst for blood? No! If I let you loose, there will be no way to stop you!'_

The deep voice laughed, though it sounded almost as a growl.

_'There is no way of stopping me kid… I am the thirst for blood, the dormant killing instinct, I am the rage boiling in your veins that pushes everything else out. What you don't understand, kid' _The voice said, stressing the it._ 'What you don't understand, is that I'm everywhere, in everyone's heart, buried deep but there. Each and everyone has that thirst for blood and that instinct that pushes you to attack that they must repress. You may be influenced a lot more by me kid, but you are not the only one...'_ Beast Boy stayed silent at this revelation, his animal side had always been there, whispering, ushering to his mind. Telling him to trust his instincts, to rely on them and urging him to spill blood. But so far he had managed to keep it at bay. At least until that incident with the strange fluid. That was when he had noticed the voice, the deep and growly voice, dangerous and alluring, that told him to bite, to scratch, even to kill. He had fought it as best as he could but at one point _it_ had taken over him and he had lost control, he had let _it_ almost kill his friends. Despite them telling him it wasn't his fault he couldn't suppress the guilt of having almost done it and the fear of doing it again.

_'What you don't understand kid, is that I can't help you. But before you can accept that, you have first to come to terms with my true nature, you must accept what I am...'_ The voice said, it was in front of him this time. As Beast Boy looked up he heard it coming his way, it was getting closer, step by step, and coming straight at him. No more teasing, no more games, this time he knew it, it was coming in the light. As he heard the sound coming closer and closer he heard the echoes of the large paws stomping the ground become duller, the rough breathing became steadier and less impressive. When the Beast finally stood in the light in front of him Beast Boy couldn't help but recoil in shock, his eyes wide and full of fear. The creature opened its mouth and spoke.

_'Until you accept what I really am and what you really are, you will never be able control me...' _In a higher pitched and less deep voice than usual.

_'No, that's impossible...'_ Whispered the changeling, taking a step back.


	14. Chapter 12 - The Beast Boy

Okay, here is the chapter! :D

Yes, a bit late again but it took me more time than I thought to write it... :P

Anyways, it's a bit longer than usual so I hope you'll be pleased (**TheImaginativeFox** : See what I do for you? x) ). Though I don't really feel completely satisfied with it i think I did a pretty good job! :P Now, all I hope is that Beast Boy won't be too OP from now on... that is indeed my greatest fear... (But I have some good ideas for things that could threaten him so anyways... :P)

Now, bad new everyone, 'cause guess who! Uhm, no, wrong line worry... :P Yeah, a bit of a bad news, I told y'all earlier that I might make a pause at one point to finish thinking the story... Weeeeeell... that might e now... I'm not really sure yet but I think I need some time to think how I will finish this whole thing (yes, the end is coming quite soon! Mwahahahaha!). Now, don't worry, I know how it will end, I'm just no really sure what will happen between now and then... :P Anyways, it shouldn't be too long, like two or three days I hope, but there might not be any chapters tomorrow and the days after... So if there aren't, please don't come kill me... I value my life pretty dearly! :P

Anyways, I hope you enjoy and i'll leave you once more to read this! (Aaaand I'm off to bed...*yawn*)

PS: Oh yeah! Thank you to all the reviewers and to all the readers, I'm so happy that people like my story! (Gimme likes, gimme! x) )

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Best Boy's mouth hung open as he pointed a finger at the creature who had just stepped into the light.

_"No…" _He repeated, his voice barely audible and his eyes wide.

_"Yes."_ His voice echoed once more into the darkness surrounding both of them as the creature spoke. _"Now you understand..."_ It added. Beast Boy couldn't believe his eyes, his mind worked at a hundred miles per hour, trying to process what he was seeing, what his mind was telling him was true but that his heart didn't want to believe. He stood in front of an exact replica of himself, same height, same green skin and same messy hair. The creature now looked like a clone of himself. No, he thought, not a clone. It is me… Despite him thinking that he couldn't accept what he was seeing, what that meant.

_"No, that's not possible!"_ He shouted at the creature. _"You- You can't be! Stop that, it's not funny!"_ He lunged at his exact replica but as if it was reading his mind the copy evaded his punched with incredible speed by simply stepping sideways. As he got back up he saw his doppelganger laugh.

_"You know it's true, deep down inside you, you always knew Beast Boy. But we don't have time for that!" _as Beast Boy launched himself once more towards the creature it caught his fist and turned the teen over, slamming him on the ground in his back. The creature leaned over Beast Boy and laughed again, morphing his arm into the werewolf's again and pressing his large claws against the neck of the young Titan._ "I was always there. When you were made into what you are now, I was waiting in the shadows of your mind. Even when you were just a child, barely a newborn, I was there. I have always been there, whispering in your ear to follow your instincts, to trust and rely on your senses. Oh you did listen to me Beast Boy, you learned well, you became strong and dangerous. But you still do not grasp the extent of your true power…"_ The green teen looked at his double, swallowing with difficulty as he tried not to press his throat against the sharp claws. The Beast continued.

_"I am you. I am a part of you, a dark part that you have always pushed back, the ferocious bestiality inside your heart. The Beast, that werewolf monster, was a part of you all along. I only managed to bring it to the outside faster with the help of that strange fluid…"_

_"But- Adonis… How?"_ Tried to ask Beast Boy, not managing to form the sentence in his mouth.

_"Ha!" _Exclaimed the Beast._ "You don't listen kid, I told you, I am in each and everyone of you. Every human has a monster sleeping inside of him, but most manage to go through their whole life without waking it…Adonis was just able to wake the primal side inside him..."_ It stood back up, leaving some room to breathe to the young changeling.

_"You are different, and you know it… You have a dangerous monster inside you and you try to keep it at bay. You can't. You have to let it out…"_

_"No!" _Exclaimed Beast Boy, shooting back up to his feet, anger darkening his features. _"I won't! I know what I did, what you did when I lost control last time, I can't let it happen again. especially not now!"_

_"Yes you do!"_ Roared back his doppelganger. _"You won't succeed without letting me out!"_

_"Yes I will! I have to!"_

_"You still don't understand…" _Sighed the Beast._ "You-"_ But Beast Boy cut it off before it could continue, punching his double in the face and sending it fly through the air out of the light.

_"Yes I do! I understand perfectly what you want! That's why I tried to keep you at bay all these years, rage cannot be controlled, I know this better than anyone else!"_ He yelled as he walked towards the Beast, leaving the spot of light and letting himself be engulfed by the dark, sensing it as it slowly got back up._ "You almost destroyed my friend and myself when you got out!"_ Then, quicker than he could react, the Beast flew straight at him again, pinning him to the floor.

_"No!"_ It roared. _"YOU almost destroyed yourself and your friends! I AM YOU BEAST BOY!"_

Beast Boy recoiled in fear once again, seeing his traits deformed by rage scared him out of his mind.

_"No…no… no…"_ He repeated as he backed into the light, away from his double.

_"Yes!" _The Beast followed him, step by step, slowly catching up to him and entering the light again. "You still don't understand kid, I am not an enemy taking control of your body, I am you! And you need to let me out to win this fight and save her!" This word seemed to shake Beast Boy out of his confusion and he focused his eyes back on the other version of himself.

_"No… I-"_ He began but he stopped as the Beast morphed back to its werewolf form.

_"Then, if you won't, I will!" _It roared before jumping at him. Beast Boy quickly transformed into a hummingbird, evading its large opponent and taking some altitude. But the Beast left him no time to breath as it morphed into a hawk and flew straight at him, catching him as he was trying to get away. The green teen became an elephant to force the hawk to let go and then a great ape and caught it before sending it to the ground. His opponent became a jaguar and landed on the floor softly before pouncing at him once more, becoming a huge tiger and biting him in the arm.

Beats Boy morphed into a sasquatch and grabbed the tiger by the leg, throwing him away and before he touched the ground he was a tyrannosaurus rex and was running with all his might at the Beast. The tiger touched down twenty meters away from the green Titan and glared at the huge dinosaur coming its way before morphing again. This time its body covered in scales, it became twice as large as the tyrannosaurus and grew wings, its neck becoming longer and its paws growing huge claws. Beast Boy hesitated a second before attacking the now fully formed dragon before roaring ferociously and forging ahead. unfortunately during that moment of hesitation the dragon had prepared itself and swatted the king of the dinosaurs with a simple flick of its tail. Beast Boy dropped on the ground, almost losing consciousness and morphing back to his normal form. He looked at the dragon as it lowered its head level with him and opened its mouth wide. The green Titan's eyes grew large in fear as he realized what was about to happen.

_"No!" _He yelled at the top of his lungs, covering his eyes in a desperate attempt to protect himself from the blazing inferno. But it was too late and fire raged from the giant beast's mouth.

Once the flames vanished and Beast Boy opened his eyes again he saw the mirror version of himself once again, standing before him and offering him a hand.

_"How…?"_ He simply articulated.

_"You didn't want to listen kid…" _Said the other in his voice, which was barely deeper than his but enough to give way the Beast. _"I had to show you…I had to make you understand what you power really means…" _As a definite lack of understanding was displayed on the Titan's face the Beast continued. _"You can be anything Beast Boy… Your power is much greater than you think, than anybody thinks… But to access your full potential you need me, you can't push me away. Rage fogs the mind and make you do mistakes. But I am not that kid, the rage that took over you when you became the Beast is yours and yours only. That fluid only made it stronger for a while. I represent so much more than that…" _As Beast Boy took his doppelganger's hand and stood back up he listened intently, curious about what it had to say for once. The Beast touched his forehead as it continued to speak, making memories flash through his eyes as it talked. Beast Boy remembered a recurring dream he had when he was younger, long before he had been altered, about a voice talking to him in his sleep. He saw the first time he had morphed, remembering he had seen himself do that in a dream. He remembered the time he had trained at the Doom Patrol, when he was forced to go beyond his limits and he had only managed it by improvising on the spot. He saw the first time he transformed into the Beast, thinking he had attacked Raven when he in fact had saved her. Every time he needed her he transformed and somehow managed to save her.

_"I am not only the rage that fuel your body, Garfield. I am much more, I am all the gut feeling that tugs at your mind when something seems wrong, the feeling of imminent danger and of self preservation. I am what pushes you to protect her against all odds."_ The voice paused, taking its hand off the Titan's forehead the Beast looked the green teenager in the eyes.

_"I think you understand now what I have been trying to tell you all along…"_

_"Yes…"_ Whispered Beast Boy. _"I… I was wrong…"_ He said, taken aback by the realization that had imposed itself to him.

_"You understand your powers now… You know what to do…" _Said the voice as the doppelganger walked back into the shadows and melted away into the darkness, not waiting for the teenager to reply.

Beast Boy looked at the spot where his reflection had been standing a moment earlier, watching the last bit of the creature's arm disappear, for what seemed to be hours. When finally he looked away, he knew what he had to do as if it had always been clear as day. He sat down in the light and closed his eyes. Raven had once tried to teach him how to meditate to help him control the Beast but he had never succeeded during her lessons as he kept getting distracted by his thoughts. He just couldn't get his mind off the dark girl as she was so close to him, but that of course he would never have told her. And seeing as he hadn't made any progress, nor shown any motivation, she had abandoned the idea of trying to teach him, only telling him to keep trying and that he would succeed one day. Unbeknownst to her, Beast Boy had indeed continued to try and once she had not been around to distract him with her alluring perfume or the light sound of her breathing, he had found it a lot easier. It had taken him a few weeks but with some effort he had managed to become master of himself and had learned to control his emotions better, he had found that meditation had a lot of virtues. He had never told that to the dark girl either, preferring to keep it to himself as a treasured moment, and preferring not to say he found it terribly easy when he focused the object of his focus was her. He knew that if he tried to show her he wouldn't succeed anyways.

He sat there and took in a deep breath, calming his racing heart and summoning an image from the purple haired girl meditating at night on the roof of the tower, a souvenir he kept well hidden from the others. As the calm face with ashen skin took the place of every other thought in his head he felt calm spread through his body and directed his thoughts to the deepest part of his mind, where he kept the Beast at bay. He finally understood why he had to let it free and what it was. He had thought for a long time that it was an equivalent from the vengeful emotion Rage in Raven's head but now he knew better. What he had been afraid of for so long wasn't anger or a monster, it was of himself. He thought that if he relied on what made him what he was now he would lose control, but he had been wrong all along. Or at least he hoped so…

As he felt something pop open in his mind, his body surged with power and when he opened his eyes they were almost glowing with power. He first felt the pain. Adonis had grabbed him by the throat and was punching and chocking him at the same time. He also noticed that he had reverted in his normal form. Then he felt the fear. fear of pain, fear of dying and fear of being left alone once more. But the image of as ghost smile on purple lips shook him out of it and that was when he felt it. Assurance. He knew what he had to do, he knew what was going to happen and he knew that there was no reason to be paralyzed by fear. He knew why he was doing all that and it gave him renewed courage. He coughed, blood dripped from his mouth, but he looked straight at the villain in the powered suit. He let his anger spark the fire inside him and focused on all his senses.

"Good…" Echoed a deep voice somewhere in his head that he registered without even paying attention. All this time he had run away from who he really was, all this time he had tried to shut what his body yelled to him, what his mind said was logical and tried to learn to fight with his a cool head like Robin. But despite all his good will he had never been able to do it. Now he knew why. He was not cool headed, he was a wild beast, a hunter, a hot blooded killer. He was supposed to let his primal instincts loose when he fought, not try to contain them. And he had to accept that to finally unlock his true potential. The green teenager stopped thinking about what he should do and let his body react for him. He kicked the villain in the face with both legs, forcing him to let go. He landed on the ground on all four and let the surge of power take over his whole body, starting to convulse as soon as he did.

_"I am the primal instincts in every men, the thing that pushes them to fight for their lives, to give everything to protect themselves and what they love no matter the odds. I am the primal drive that once woken up will not stop as long as it can fight. I am the Beast that sleeps in every heart and that gives the will to fight for life to every living creature!"_ Roared the voice inside his head as his body shook violently as it morphed.

As Starfire arrived near the gates she couldn't believe her eyes. Two dozen robots were lying on the ground in pieces, almost as much clones of Billy numerous were sprawled all over and Kyd Wykkyd was lying unconscious under two of them. What surprised her more was the fact that both wooden doors guarding the entry of the fortress had been taken down and completely destroyed. Adonis was lying on the ground behind them, blood dripping from his mouth and bruises all over his face. His power suit was in pieces besides him. Dr. Light was lying near the wall on the right as if he had been thrown against it with such violence it had created a dent in his shape in the stone. Next to where he had landed was a huge claw mark that had cut deep in the stone. But what surprised the alien princess the most was the strange creature standing in front of Adonis and his destroyed power suite. It was breathing loudly and seemed to have just finished taking them down. It looked like the Beast, with green fur, but a bit smaller, its arms a bit slimmer but still buffed with muscles. It had wolfish features from the waist down but the upper body looked more human-like. A long furry tail was slowly moving in waves behind it and two large scaly wings were protruding from its back. Starfire took a hesitant step towards it, unsure of its intentions. The creature turned around and Starfire was taken aback, is that wasn't the case before, and took a step back in shock. It was Beast Boy. The Tamarean princess opened her eyes and mouth in shock as a huge smile spread through his face.

"Hey Star! Good to see you are well!" He exclaimed in a voice slightly deeper than usual and radiating confidence.


	15. Chapter 13 - The Dead Batteries

Hey everyone, I'm back! :D Yep, surprise! Yay! :P

So, after three (well four now) days of leave I'm finally back with a new chapter! :D

Yeah, so it migth not have been as long as you had feared (or it migth have been, I don't know) but I'm back and I finally know how to continue this story! Though I'm still not sure about the ending... :S :P

Anyway, this chapter may not be as interesting or as good as the others but I wanted to talk about Cyborg a bit here and I realized what I wanted to do was something I had already planned a bit later in the story with B- ahem! Someone else... x) So I kinda changed my plans at the last moment and I just hope it didn't turn out to bad... (Oh, and it has a bit of suspens at the end! :P)

It's going to get more interesting again next chapter, so be patient!

I hope you enjoy and I'll wish y'all a good night since I'm going to bed the minute it's published 'cause I'm dead tired... So, enjoy and it's good to be back! :D (Yes, I know I was gone for only three days but still... x) )

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Cyborg slowly moved around the battlefield, trying to stay at some distance from the fights that were raging and helping his comrades whenever he could. He was looking for something, or rather someone who could help him recharge his batteries before he ran out of power again. He shivered at the idea. Usually when he was out of power he could simply recharge himself and if needed absolutely he would put himself into sleep mode, reducing his energy consumption to the minimum until he could charge up again. But today this time it was different. He couldn't just turn off and let the battle happen, he had to be there for his friends and allies, they were all fighting for the same cause and it was out of question that he would be left out. He had a part to play. None of the other Titans would ever say it out loud but it was true. Robin was the leader, the one coming up with the info and the plans, the strategist of the group. Starfire was the moral and the firepower, she could be fierce whenever her friends needed her and as sweet as sugar when they didn't feel well. Raven was the cold-blooded thinker and powerful asset to the team, she was always there to give good insight on the plan or the group decision despite her less than cheery nature. Beast Boy was the goofy, carefree trump card to the team, he always knew how to lighten the mood, though often not intentionally. But despite his less than serious attitude he could come up with ingenious ideas to defeat the villains and with on the spot strategies that often paid off. And to keep all this under control, or at least attempt to do so, there was Cyborg. He was the one they turned to when medical expertise was needed and when they wanted to double-check their decisions. Robin was the head, Raven the fists, Beast Boy was the lungs and Starfire the heart. To support all that there was Cyborg, sort of the backbone of their group.

But if he didn't find an energy source in the next minutes then he was not sure he would wake up again, not even if he would be able to wake up again. If he didn't before his batteries ran low then his system would shut down completely and it would almost certainly damage him permanently. He cursed his half robot side, if only he hadn't had that accident he would never have had to deal with these problems… That said, he would never had met the Titans either… He shook his head, refocusing on his task. He stopped and looked around, it was useless to wander around pointlessly, he had to know where to go before trying to get there. The half machine man was reviewing every Titan he could see and tried to determine if they could help him. As he was looking at Red Star who was fighting Psymon with some difficulty he heard a loud rumbling sound on his right and saw Thunder trying to contain four bots as Overload was shooting him with high-powered sparks. After a long second an idea formed itself in Cyborg's mind and he smiled. He ran, or rather walked as fast as he could, towards Thunder, distracting Psymon long enough for Red Star to momentarily take control of the fight. He charged up a sonic beam in his canon, using up the last bits of energy he had left, and shot the four bots, completely disintegrating them. Thunder didn't look at him but immediately jumped towards Overload and struck him hard, sending the electric chip flying two dozen meters back. Then he turned towards the cyborg and smiled at him as he approached.

"Thank you for the help Cyborg, though I had the situation under control you know…" But before he could continue boasting the black man interrupted him by almost falling. "Are you alright?"

"No…" Answered Cyborg, feeling the after effects of his beam. he had barely one percent battery left and five minutes top before he shut down. If he managed not to overexert himself that was. "I need…your help…" It became difficult for him to talk, his mechanical side was already failing and didn't work properly anymore.

"What do you need?" Asked the huge elemental super hero.

My batteries are almost dead." Was all the Titan could manage before falling on his knees on the ground, hoping the other would understand what he meant. Luckily for him Thunder was a quick thinker and understood almost immediately what was going on and what needed to be done. He stood back up and looked around and when he spotted his brother jumping away from a surprise attack he opened his mouth.

"Lightning!" He boomed, taking advantage of his powers to enhance his voice. "Here!" he waved at his brother as his blond twin looked up. He zapped the robot that had jumped at him, stunning them momentarily, before running to them.

"What's going on Thun?" He asked.

"Cyborg is almost out of battery, can you do something for him?" Asked the taller of the two. His brother looked at the cyborg and nodded.

"If he can take what I throw at him, yeah I might be able to patch him up." He grinned.

"Take… out…" Mumbled Cyborg, pointing weakly at a spot on his back. Lightning looked closer and noticed a button, as he pressed on it an antenna came out and he instantly knew what he had to do. He put his hand on it and closed his eyes, concentrating his power in his arm and calling upon the heavens for help. The air crackled around them and after a few seconds sparks started to fly, then everything glowed n a circle around the two, Thunder had to take a step back for safety. Finally a huge bolt of light descended from the sky and hit Cyborg and the blond Titan head on, it lasted for about five seconds before its intensity slowly diminished and the light faded away. Lightning let the antenna go and sat down on the ground, catching his breath before asking the Cyborg if he was okay.

"You alright tin man?" He asked. Hearing no answer from the oldest member of the Teen Titans he turned around to face him and saw his human eye wide open and his mechanical eye glowing bright red. "Tin man?" He asked again, a bit worried, which was quite unusual for him as he and his brother never seemed to worry much. Thunder looked closer at Cyborg for a long moment and finally sighed in relief before turning towards his brother again.

"It's okay Light, I think he's rebooting." He said with a reassuring smile. "I hope at least…" He then added, looking a bit nervous. His brother nodded, swallowing with difficulty. An electrical discharge could have completely fried their friend, both the human and the mechanical parts. They could only hope the risky move had paid off and that he would be back soon. A few minutes later the metal and flesh Titan started to move again, he blinked and turned his head towards the tallest of the two brothers.

"Where am I?" He muttered slowly, looking around dizzily.

"Still on the battlefield tin man." Smiled Lightning. "I charged you back up with my amazing powers!" As Cyborg looked at him and then back at his brother his eyes seemed unfocused.

"Who are you?" He then asked groggily, furrowing his brows. "And who am I?"

Uh oh! Thought the twins synchronously, this couldn't be good.


	16. Chapter 14 - The System Reboot

Ola everybody! :D

And voila le new chapter! ;)

Okay, so first of all, I'm sorry for what you are going to read, I couldn't stop myself when I wrote the chapter yesterday and this one today, I had to do it, I couldn't help but laugh as I imagined your faces when you would start reading this one so, sorry again, please don't hit me! :P

Now, I think that this story will continue on up to chapter twenty I think and then it will be over (though I'm not sure, might be a bit longer than that, maybe up to twenty five) so we're about halfway through. I hope this is still as good as it was (or as I like to think it was) when it began and I hope you will enjoy reading this amazing chapter! :D (no, I'm not boasting, no no, not at all...)

Also I forgot last time, but thank you to **JasonVUK** and **TheImaginativeFox** for their reviews. Mini Beast is, or was, indeed here (yay! :D) but don't worry, the dragon will come too! x) And after enjoying my break, I am now back to torturing you with cliffhangers and bad jokes! (Mwahahahahaha! :D)

Thanks to all of you readers and reviewers, enjoy! :)

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When Cyborg came back to himself he felt extremely fresh and full of energy, even though his whole body was stiff and ached all over he felt like he could run as fast as Kid Flash. He blinked, trying to calm his racing heart and the flood of information assaulting his brain. He looked around him and saw the storm brothers kneeling near him and looking at him with concerned faces.

"Where am I?" He muttered, trying to get back his bearings. He could hear the noises of fighting in the background but everything was blurry and dampened, like he was in a bubble, isolated from the rest of the world. Cyborg somehow knew it was because his systems were still reinitializing but it still felt weird.

"Still on the battlefield man." He saw the blond twin smiling at him proudly. "I charged you back up with my amazing powers!" Cyborg registered the sudden surge of power, his batteries were empty one second and the next they were full, how was that possible? Then he remembered, he had asked Lightning to zap him and had used his antenna to redirect the power to his batteries. It was an extremely risky move as they were not made to be recharged so fast, they could have blown up and disintegrated him and everything in a twenty meter radius at the same time. He cringed at the thought, he had put his friends in danger and he hated himself for that, but it was the only solution he had at hand. And it had worked hadn't it? He looked back at Thunder's smiling yet concerned face and felt surprised to see the larger twin worried over something, it gave him an evil idea that would have made him smirk, a smirk that would have made even Cheshire proud, but he managed to keep his face straight, or at least seemingly dizzy.

"Who are you?" He asked, finding it difficult not to burst out in laughter. "And who am I?" He added. For a second he wondered if he had gone too far, but the dread that took over the twins' faces told him the opposite. He could literally feel them panic and looked around with his brows furrowed to add to the realism of his little act.

As they both looked at him, trying desperately to find what was wrong, he slowly started standing up, looking down to hide the broad smile plastered on his lips. Once he was finally back on his feet he shot his head up and laughed.

"Booyah!" He yelled, holding his aching belly. "Gotcha!" He laughed even more when he saw fear spread on both his comrades' faces, then turning into incomprehension and then into understanding and slight exasperation. "You shoulda seen your faces!" He roared, unable to control his laughter. The twins both frowned and crossed their arms, visibly annoyed by the half machine man's prank.

"It's not funny!" Exclaimed the taller one. "We really thought your systems had been damaged!"

"Sorry, I'm sorry…" Replied Cyborg, trying to retain the giggles that were threatening to burst out any moment. "I just couldn't help myself, you both looked so worried!"

"Hey man, I just zapped you with half a million volts, of course we were worried!" Groaned the blond twin who seemed even more annoyed. "Anyways, we don't have time for this, we gotta go back and help the others. Are you feeling okay?" He asked as he turned around to see how things were evolving around him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Said Cyborg turning back on to serious mode. "My systems are finishing the reboot now and I have to do one or two maintenance checks and a few quick repairs but I'll be okay. You should go help the others now, I'll be right behind you!" He exclaimed as he opened a pad on his right arm and started typing commands in it to check the software for eventual bugs. The twins nodded and after a last glare towards the tall Titan they smiled and patted him on the back.

"You can be such a pain in the ass you know, but it's good to have you back." Said Thunder before they both ran off into different directions and towards a villain.

Cyborg took out some small tools he always carried on him in case of emergencies and mentally checked his whole body to ascertain the damage, he found that only his right leg had suffered damage but that it could be repaired with what he had at hand at the moment. He ran an automatic software analysis and started working on his leg, unscrewing the protection and started to solder the damaged joints together and checking the electrical connections. After a few minutes of meticulous work he felt satisfied with the result and knew that he wouldn't be able to do much better in the circumstances, he screwed the metal plate back in plate and put away his tools before checking the result of the analysis. Apparently the reboot had corrected any liabilities that might have been created during his first shutdown and seemed to be perfectly back online. What's more his batteries were charged up to the maximum and he felt like he was going to blow up any second if he didn't act. He smiled and looked around the battlefield before setting his gaze on the stone citadel. The Titans seemed to be pushing back the villains and the army of robots towards the walls, that was good news, but he couldn't waste any time his friends needed his help and he wasn't about to let them down. He readied his sonic canon and set off towards the tall building, running as fast as he could and shooting everything that tried to stoping him. He was soon joined by Bumblebee that smiled broadly when she saw he was fine and Mas y Menos, the two speedsters were taking down the bots with their speed and their perfect teamwork. As they were slowly approaching the gates they heard a loud crash coming from inside the walls of the citadel and saw smoke slowly rising to the sky.

The roar had echoes throughout the walls, almost making the whole building shake with its power. Robin had quickly whipped around when he had heard it, he knew that sound despite the fact that he only had heard it twice before, he knew what it meant and smiled bitterly. He turned towards the villain still sitting on his throne as Raven seemed to stir from her unconscious state a little.

"You may not fear us Slade but that is not an advantage, it's one of yout biggest mistakes." The masked man simply looked at the teenager without answering, his emotions concealed behind his mask. "Friendship and affection may look like a weakness to you but it's what makes us strong, what pushes us to do anything for our friends."

"You think a puny group of super powered teenagers is going to stop me?" Asked the villain, his voice full of amusement and mockery. "Your numbers amount to nothing and not even your 'emotions', as you say," He commented sarcastically. "will change that…"

"You may have an army behind you but the moment you start losing the battle they will turn their backs on you. They will surrender or they will run, but none will be there to offer you help…" Robin replied, his voice as cool as ice. Slade laughed again standing up and walked towards the leader of the Titans again.

"What make you think that the tide will turn in your favor you foolish kid?" He asked, his mask was now mere inches away from Robin's face. "Even alone against all of you, you could never defeat me!" He exclaimed.

"I have something, no. We have something you haven't Slade, something that makes go on even when there seems to be no hope."

"And what might that be, young hero?" Demanded Slade, his mocking smile was almost visible behind his mask.

"Something you never had and never will have Slade. Faith. We have faith in each other and that gives us power…" Robin replied, letting a confident smile spread across his bruised face. Once more Slade's laugh echoed through the walls. He stood up and looked at the masked Titan before kicking him viciously in the stomach once more, making him double over in pain.

"Well let's see how this 'faith' of yours help you defeat me…" His voice trailed off in the farthest part of the room as he walked away in the darkness behind his throne still laughing.


	17. Chapter 15 - The Life Not Always Pink

And here is the daily dose of_ The Beast Inside_, especially for you my dear readers! x)

So, the action is moving along nicely and we are nearing the peak in suspense and tension, the epic conclusion is not far away now!

Thanks again for the reviews. Yes, ass-whooping is just round the corner my dear **Jason** x) And I'm glad you liked the small joke-that-wasn't-so-funny-in-fact in the last chapter **TheImaginativeFox**.

I really hope you enjoy reading this as much as I do writing it and I'll see you for the next chapter tomorrow! ;)

Got a bus to catch now so see ya and enjoy! :D

ps: was listening to Stay Alive from José Gonzàlez over and over again as I was writing this. :)

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The pink haired witch had stayed there, eyes wide and her heart beating madly in her chest. Ever since he had disappeared time had stopped around her, her mind had blanked out and she absentmindedly touched her lips, the tickling sensation of the static electricity still present. He had kissed her. He had kissed her. He has kissed her. No matter how hard she tried, that was the only thing that kept popping in her mind, that and his last words.

"You are my princess." He had bugged her, he had stopped robberies she had organized, he had made her question her being a villain, said she could be so much more than that. But she had pushed all that back, sure that it was a wise ploy thought up by the Titans to make her betray the Hive. She had captured him, offered him as a prize to the Brotherhood and still he had tried to help her, persuading her not to do it. She did not understand why he tried to help her, why he tried to help her. She was bad luck, always had been, she never had been accepted anywhere, never had any friends. Never had anyone offered a shoulder to lean on. Yet he, after barely seeing her, had set his mind on helping her, after barely a full sentence from her part he had decided to get her out of her miserable life. She was angry at first, cursing him for spoiling yet another of her plans. She had yelled at him, researched every aspect of his powers to devise a plan to catch him. She had mocked him, humiliated him by using his trust against him. She had almost killed him. And yet he came back, always. It was the only thing she knew, the only truth, he always came back looking for her. And this time had not been different, he had somehow known she would be there and instead of helping his comrades he had come to her. Well maybe not completely intentionally, but still everywhere she went, there he was. Why? That question had haunted her ever since he had left that rose in her hand. Why was he doing so much for her? She who had betrayed him, who had tried to kill him. She who wasn't worth so much efforts. Why? But now, as she stood, back pressed against the wall she knew. She understood why he came back, why he never quit and it scared her. No one had ever shown anything but hate or disgust upon laying eyes on her. Even her own comrades were scared of her. But he had blown through that barrier since the beginning and that frightened her to death.

Why? You might ask. Well firstly because it was a completely alien feeling to her, a feeling she would never had confessed she was not immune to before. He was prepared to go so far for her, but was she ready? Was she ready to accept his help? Was she ready to change? She shivered at the thought of what would happen to her if the others knew what she was thinking. Immediately his voice echoed in her head.

"I'll be there, waiting. The day you have enough of this life I'll be there for you. I'll help you. You are worth so much more than this…" He had said, a sad expression on his face, before running off into the night. Deep inside she knew she wanted something more, something else. Was that it? Switching sides? Teaming with the 'good guys' she despised so much? 'Do you really despise them?' Kid Flash's voice echoed in her mind. 'Or is it something else…?' Something else, she thought? Was she… jealous of them? Jealous of what they had? The recognition and the happiness that seemed to go with the job? Maybe… She sighed bitterly. Maybe she yearned for more, maybe she wanted something else from life. Something more. She breathed in deeply, his smell still present in the air around her. Yes, she wanted more. Jinx thought as she opened her eyes. She wanted to change her life, she wanted to stop all this pointless destruction and for once in her life do something useful. It would take time but maybe someday she would be able to be happy. Even for a single day in her life. She remembered her mother, smiling and happy. She remembered how she had fought for both of them when her father had become a monster. How she had struggled to keep her safe and happy, always moving around to get away from him. And how he always found them in the end. Heavy footsteps came to her ears. She heard a voice she knew well call.

"Friend Beast Boy, are you sure they are around here?" Asked the alien princess. The footsteps changed and became lighter as they got closer.

"Yes Starfire, I can smell Raven and Robin. The went through here up to another floor." He hesitated suddenly, stopping in his tracks a few meters from the blown up wall, changing back to his wolf form and sniffing around.

"What is it?" Questioned Starfire.

"There's another smell here. No, two. I think its Wally and… I don't know, I can't really put my head around it but I'm sure I know that other one…" Then he shook his head.

"Never mind, we have to hurry." And the green changeling jumped back, once more a wolf and ran off towards the end of the corridor, Starfire struggling to keep up with him.

"Wait Beast Boy!" She exclaimed as she flew off to catch up with him.

As soon as she had heard their voices Jinx had tensed, ready to attack. Beast Boy had stopped and her mind was on overdrive. Do I attack? She was surprised to even hesitate. Had this happened the day before she would have burst through the wall and taken them head on. But now she was hiding behind the wall, trying to evade them. Why? She wasn't scared. No, it was something else. She searched through her mind for a reason and somehow it came as an evidence, surprising even her. She didn't want ot attack them. She wanted all this to stop and to be able to start a new life. She wanted them to win and to leave her alone. She wanted to change. The witch felt a huge weight lifting off her heart and a lot lighter all of a sudden, as if accepting her deepest wishes had made her life a bit easier and less miserable. She wanted to change. She was going to change and she would start now by not attacking them. Beast Boy sniffed around for a few seconds, Jinx was extremely tensed, hoping she wouldn't find him as even though she had no intention of attacking them she didn't want to explain it to them either. She wasn't ready to open herself and embrace her new life just yet, she simply wanted to be left out of it for the moment. Finally they started running again. Jinx saw them turn around the corner at the end of the corridor and swore the dark green wolf had stopped for a second and had locked eyes with her before disappearing again. But that must have been her imagination, he had no reason to let her go after all, she was an enemy. She sighed again and slumped back against the wall, letting all the tension leave her body and trying to calm her beating heart. She thought about what would happen after all that. What would she do? Would they imprison her again? Surely. She had no idea what would happen when they defeated Slade… Could they even defeat him? This time he seemed even more confident and powerful than ever. But the Titans always prevailed, didn't they? She thought as a bitter taste filled her mouth. Then his smell came to her again and the feeling of his hot lips on hers. She opened her eyes once more and shot her hed back up. Even if they did not trust her, even if they despised her, it didn't mean she couldn't start over now and help turn the tide of this battle. She got up and started running in the opposite direction from where the speedster, and a bit later the green changeling and the alien, had run or flown off to, she would help them with or without their consent. She would change and she would be happy and no one was going to stop her from doing just that.


	18. Chapter 16 - The Bursting Of The Doors

Aaaand chapter sixteen is here! :D

I'm not really satisfied with this one, I somehow feel like it's a bit rushed. I don't know, maybe it's just me but I have mixed feelings about it, I think it's quite good and at the same time not as good as it could be... :S

Anyways, Jinx is definitely going to get her cookie, though how I'll let you see! ;)

Thanks for the reviews dear readers, and thanks for reading this fiction. I know it may not be the beast ever written (I know it's not, I've seen so much great and amazing stuff out there [unfortunately some not so great and definitely not so amazing too, but that's not the point :P] and I wish I could be as good a writer as those people...). So I hope you will enjoy it, even though I'm not very sure of myself, and I wish you the good a reading my friends! :P

See ya later, I have to go and eat (Gahhh! so hungry... x) ) Enjoy! :D

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"Duck!" Yelled Starfire and she released a powerful bolt of energy, hitting Mammoth straight in the chest and sending him barreling through the doors, blowing them up in pieces. The sound of the explosion echoed in the night and smoke flew up.

"Nice one Star!" Smiled Beast Boy as he changed into a huge wolf and charged through the opening into the fortress as the smoke cleared. The fiery redhead immediately followed him, not even looking back at the group of bots laying on the ground in pieces. Mammoth and Gizmo had tried to take them on with half a dozen robots that the little genius had modified. They had attacked the two Titans as soon as they had walked through inside the walls. The two members of Hive focused on the green changeling while Starfire took on the six robots. Everything had gone well at first, Starfire had managed to take down two of the robots before catching a third and sending it flying towards Mammoth, giving Beast Boy time to breathe and to jump after Gizmo who was flying a few meter above him and shooting lasers. His gadgets had been improved and their power augmented, Beast Boy knew that even with his new form he had to be careful, one hit of that laser could be deadly. He jumped and, taking advantage of the wings he had managed to grow, he flew behind the small villain, surprising him and destroying his backpack in one sweep of his claws. Unfortunately for him the mechanical genius of Hive had seen that move coming, as it had downed him so many times before, and pulled out more gadgets out of his newly modified suit.

"Ha! I knew you would try to take my backpack out first so I made some modifications to my suit too!" He shouted mockingly before sending a wave of small bombs directly at the green changeling and taking off once again, a jet pack coming out of the back of his suit. Beast Boy ducked and managed to get out of the way of the bombs but was hit directly by an explosive missile. He fell on the floor and somehow absorbed the shock of his fall as he landed on all four, one of his wings badly hit and bleeding. He changed fully into a falcon and flew at the small villain, turning into a squirrel before he had any time to react and back into a sasquatch as he jumped on his back. He grabbed Gizmo and threw him towards the ground but the jetpack prevented his opponent from crashing on the ground, instead he stopped his fall and hovered a meter over the ground. The member of the Hive smiled wickedly as he pointed his guns at the green Titan, only to be faced with an empty space. Beast Boy tackled him from the side, sending them both flying into a wall and ripping the genius's suit apart before knocking him out cold with a heavy punch in the stomach.

Gizmo fell down on the ground, unconscious and Beast Boy followed soon after, trying to catch his breath. The explosive had hurt him quite a lot and his shoulder was now bleeding and sore, he felt his blood pumping painfully towards his arm. Suddenly there was a flash of light and he heard Starfire cry out of pain. Dr. Light had somehow woken up and had shot her with one of his light beams. Beast Boy growled and prepared to jump at the villain but, as he shot a quick glance at the alien princess, he was in turn tackled by Mammoth and blown away with a full powered punch. The changeling fell heavily on the ground, feeling dizzy and almost blacking out, the only thing that kept him awake was his anger and the fact that his friends needed his help. He stood up shakily and ducked at the last minute to the right, narrowly escaping the huge Hive member only thanks to his superhuman instincts. He heard Starfire crash into the wall as the mad doctor shot another ray of light at her. The Beast roared inside him, urging him to take Dr. Light down as he saw the villain preparing yet another blow to throw at his ever cheerful teammate. He used the transformation he had been trying to suppress for so long, lunging at the villain and once more embedding him into the wall, unconscious. He stood back up and ran towards Starfire.

"Star! Are you okay?!" He shouted as the dust cleared and a dizzy but otherwise unhurt Starfire stepped out of the point of impact.

"Yes friend beast Boy. I feel the unheavy head but otherwise I am alright." Beats Boy sighed at his friend's smile. Then he saw her eyes widen and she threw her arms up yelling at him to duck. He only had the time to react and to hear heavy footsteps running towards them as she sent a huge beam of green light at Mammoth who was trying to attack them from behind, sending him crashing through the doors and creating an opening to the fortress.

As he got back up straight she smiled at him, flashing one of those bright and cheerful smiles from which only she had the secret, and nearly collapsed on the ground. The changeling caught her just before she hit the green moss on the stone slabs.

"You sure you okay?" he asked, concern showing on his face.

"Y- yes, I am fine…" She answered weakly. "Only a bit tired…The lack of sun is not good for me during a battle…" She managed to say, getting back up with difficulty.

"Maybe you should rest a bit…" Advised the green teen but she shook her head.

"No, we must save Robin and friend Raven!" She exclaimed, starting to float weakly towards the door. Beast Boy smiled at the fact that she had not preceded their leader's name with her usual 'friend', she hadn't since the events in Tokyo and yet their relationship had barely progressed to both Beast Boy and Cyborgs disappointment. He followed her and kept an eye on her as they passed through the huge, and now broken, doors.

As they ran through the corridors Beast Boy could smell his friend's sent and he followed it, running as fast as possible, throughout the maze of turns and twists. As they arrived in a long corridor he noticed part of the wall on the left had been smashed and a new scent that was adding itself to the ones of his friends. He stopped near the hole, sniffing the air around him, giving Starfire the time to catch up with him. No, there are two smells. he thought, sure he recognized both of them. One belonged to the yellow and red speedster that had probably sneaked into the citadel. It had faded a bit but it was still a strong metallic smell, like lightning bolts leave in the air after they hit the ground. The second one however surprised him, it was still strong and he was sure about its owner. Though why she was hiding from them and why her smell was almost blending with Wally's he didn't know. He pinpointed her location directly behind the wall on his right and prepared to defend himself when he felt something strange. The hate and aggressiveness she had been giving off up to now had changed. It had become something sweeter, almost friendly. Why? He thought as he untensed. Is she not going to attack? Then he realized this sweeter smell that told him she had no intention to make a move was tainted by the acid taste of fear and a tint of sadness or regret. Why? He thought again, why would she be sad? His instincts told him that somehow it might have something to do with the speedster but he couldn't understand what. He didn't have time to think more about it though as Starfire was curious as to why he had stopped. He explained to her what he had picked up, staying vague about the second smell, if the pink haired girl wasn't going to attack he wouldn't start the fight either, they had other things to do. Of course it could have been a trap but his instincts told him she wasn't faking. He transformed back into a wolf and ran down the corridor, Starfire struggled once more to catch up with his sudden sprint. He only turned around briefly to look back as he passed the corner, locking eyes with her for barely a second before running again.

Despite what everyone might have thought, Beast Boy was actually quite good and understanding people. His sense of smell and his acute hearing helped him figuring out which emotions ran though someone's head at a precise moment, a bit like Raven's empathic abilities, though he had never told anybody about it. He left people to deal with their own business, knowing that he wouldn't have liked to have someone prying in his past, especially the darkest parts. But it didn't help the fact that he knew when Robin was clearly obsessed with Slade, he could feel the sadness radiating from Starfire even though she kept eat a pizza, he wanted above all to be able to lead a normal life. And the knowledge that it would never be possible for him to do it depressed him. He could feel the fear radiating from the dark empath during the night, her anger at herself for not being able to control her emotions and her fake annoyance at his jokes and pranks sometimes.

He couldn't stand to see his friends sad and depressed all the time and therefore he took it upon himself to be the goofy member of the group. Always messing up his pranks and telling bad jokes that made them laugh, even if they were not funny he knew that making them laugh at him or at the witty remarks they would throw at him was raising their mood even if only a little. Sometimes their comments would hurt but he had learned to deal with it and he knew they cared about him so he let them pass and kept on the act. That is how, as he passed the corner, he knew instantly the witch was sad. He could feel regret and sadness pouring from her, fear taking over her mind and suddenly being replaced by a combination of shame and happiness. There was also a small spicy smell of determination somewhere in all that mix of emotions. He had picked up all that from only a few seconds thanks to his super sense of smell. He didn't understand why but somehow in the span of a few hours she had changed, maybe in an even shorter time than that, but she wasn't the same person. His mind told him Kid Flash was somehow surely implicated in that change but he didn't know why. He didn't understand what or why she was changing yet, but he could feel something he had never expected from her. Weakness. She had always been the strong and cold hearted villain that would back from nothing to get to them. Yet now, somehow, she was like a child, as if she had opened her eyes to something new. His mind worked overtime as he ran through the floors, trying to solve the riddle she had become, but as they approached another set of large wooden doors he put these thoughts to the back of his mind focusing on the task at hand. He would think about that later, after his head had cooled down. The doors were opened and he could hear sounds of a battle coming from the room beyond, he hurried his pace, catching up with Starfire who was flying faster now.


	19. Chapter 17- The Speedy And The Speedster

Chapter 17 is here folks! :D

Well, I don't really know what's happening right now but it's another one that I feel has been made too fast... I don't know, it's just a weird feeling I get, like I messed something up but I don't know what...

Anyways the end is getting nearer and with it comes some action, with a few big fights, but also suspens! Niark niark niark! Nope, you'll have to wait to see what I'm talking about... :P

Also I've tried to make shorter paragraphs to **JasonVUK**'s request, I hope it's a bit better now though I'm not totally convinced I succeeded in doing that... :P

Anyways, thank you for reading this fic everyone, already more than 3600 visits! :D (almost 300 daily) And also for reviewing, I love reviews! x)

Okay, I'll leave you to do the reading of the chapter (I feel like I'm repeating myself here...) and I hope you enjoy it! ;)

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Kid Flash had entered the room a few minutes before the two Titans. he had made the mistake of directly running in and not looking around, only focusing on the throne that lay at on end and the shackled Robin on the left. He had not seen the villain clad in green with a grinning mask until the last moment. Cheshire had slashed at him from behind with her claws and, though he had been barely hit, he felt the effects of the poison slowly making him dizzy. He was already slower to react when a few seconds later See-More and Private Hive had burst in and had immediately started attacking him.

As Beast Boy and Starfire ran in he was running around, trying to escape from the poisonous clutches of Cheshire while jumping away from Private Hive's shield guided by See-More's acute eye. He barely noticed his friends until they appeared by his side, Starfire blasting the shield away and Beast Boy tackling Cheshire with a huge bear paw.

"Hey guys!" He exclaimed with a smile that he tried to keep confident. "Nice to see you here!"

"You okay?" Asked Beast Boy as he backed away from the deadly brunette assassin.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Replied the speedster, noticing the green teen's worried look he winked as convincingly as possible. He knew he had to make them focus on their enemies or they would notice how white his face was at the moment, but he didn't need to think of an excuse as Starfire provided him with one.

"Robin!" She exclaimed almost flying over to the leader of the Titans. She would have if Kid hadn't stopped her by extending his arm.

"Careful Starfire! I've been meaning to get him out of there but these three won't let me. We have to take them down before we can get close." He saw she was about to protest. "Don't worry, he's alright, just unconscious." He added quickly, hoping she would not act rashly.

"He's right." Beast Boy added. "We have to take them down or we won't even have a chance to help him." She frowned but did not move, Kid Flash thanked the changeling silently and turned back to the villains who had backed away and were ready to counter attack the moment they moved.

"We have to take down See-More first, he's coordinating their movements and I can't get to them."

"I'll take care of that!" Confidently replied the alien princess. "Friend Beast Boy, you must take down Cheshire." She added, turning towards her friend.

"No, I'll take her!" Quickly cut in the speedster. He showed his wound to his friends as they looked at him quizzically and they both nodded silently.

"Then I'll go after Private Hive. On three?" Asked Beast Boy. The three of them got ready and when three echoed in their heads they jumped.

Starfire took flight and shot a barrage of energy balls at See-More, preventing him from helping his comrades but not managing to hit him. Cheshire jumped at her but, even though he was feeling dizzy, Kid Flash was faster and ran at her, forcing the assassin to retreat. Private Hive was about to charge at him when he was suddenly face with a green half wolf half human beast, he only had time to raise his shield before it got his full force by a huge clawed paw. He was pushed back a few meters but held on, getting ready to attack again. He jumped out of the way of a large bull but was surprised to see it change into a Sasquatch at the last moment and jerk his shield from him with a punch. He fell on the floor and didn't have time to look up before a huge tail struck him in the chest, leaving him with no more air in the lungs. He was propelled towards the wall and almost immediately lost consciousness, receiving one last punch from the Sasquatch.

As Beast Boy downed his opponent with a series of quick attacks he looked around and picked up the villain's shield. He saw Starfire zooming in a thick cloud of dust and a few seconds later saw See-More fly out and crash on the floor.

The villain was already getting up, he prepared to shoot a laser beam at the alien princess as she flew out of the smoke, chasing after him. Starfire had noticed it and was already preparing an evasive maneuver but she didn't have to use it as Beast Boy threw the shield right in the villain's eye, hitting him hard enough to give Star the time to close in the distance and finishing him with a right hook. They were running towards the unconscious wonder boy when they heard a cry. Beast Boy turned around and saw Speed on the ground, holding a bleeding arm and Cheshire over him, ready to kill. He yelled and prepared to jump but he was too far. As she leaned in for the kill the assassin was pushed back by an explosive arrow in her mask coming from the wide opening not far from where the speedster had fallen. Another arrow zoomed through the opening, sticking itself into the ceiling. It was linked to a rope and right after a third arrow flew in, pinning Cheshire where she was, a young man clad in red jumped from the rope into the room.

"Well, well, well. I'd never had hoped to see the legendary Kid Flash so down after running after such a charming lady!" He exclaimed with a grin as he helped the speedster get up, all the while keeping an eye on the masked brunette.

"Oh shut up and just get me to the wall Speedy!" Replied the other redhead. "I was careless but even in this state I'm not as weak as you!" He added tauntingly as he leaned on the Beast Boy who had just arrived. The Titan known as Red Arrow scoffed before turning back to Cheshire who had gotten free of the arrow and now growled menacingly at him.

"I'll take care of her, just get him somewhere he can gather his wits, he obviously doesn't know what he's saying the poor lad." Beast Boy sighed as the speedster prepared a snarky reply.

"Shut up Wally!" He exclaimed as he smacked the fastest Titan on the head and sat him down near the opposite wall, shutting his friend up for a moment. "Now, let me see that wound." He asked as he changed back into a wolf and licked the deep cut on the arm. Noticing Kid Flash's surprised and disgusted face he simply smirked.

"Animal lick their wounds to prevent infection, don't worry, my saliva isn't so disgusting. Though it stinks a bit." He had muttered that last part and his grin got even wider as he saw the shock spreading on the speedster's face. The green changeling quickly evaded a punch to his arm from Kid Flash and stepped back.

"At least you still seem quite vigorous, good new!" He joked again as the fast runner got back up, seeming a bit better.

"That is so not your doing BB, so don't gloat over it!" He glanced angrily at the assassin who was now trying to get through the multiple arrows that Speedy was shooting at her to cut his throat but followed Beast Boy towards the leader of the Teen Titans as Starfire called them.

She had torn open the chains that bound him to the ground and he was lying unconscious in her arms.

"He said something about Raven!" She exclaimed as they got closer. "I think she was taken away by Slade a bit earlier, he talked about doing something with her but I don't know what…" She said, clearly alarmed as she softly stroked the boy wonder's hair. Beast Boy's eyes got wider and he felt anger swell once more inside him, his fists clenched.

"He told me they went that way before fainting." She added pointing towards the end of the room. Beast Boy was about to jump towards the darkest part of the large hall before a roaring laugh coming from just there stopped him.

"Well, well, look who we have here!" A booming voice said. "The little witch's friends coming to save her!" Laughed the voice as the silhouette of a man appeared from the darkness. Suddenly it morphed and a dark purple dragon was standing behind the throne, exposing his sharp white teeth in a wide mocking grin.

"Malchior!" Spat Beast Boy.

"Oh, the green insect seems angry…" Mocked Malchior. "And the princess is holding her prince, too bad I didn't come back earlier, I would've immensely enjoyed taking a bite of the boy wonder before your eyes!" As he finished his sentence several things happened at the same time. Beast Bow growled, ready to attack but someone put a hand on his arm. He turned to his side to see Starfire holding him back.

"Ill take care of him…" She simply said in an emotionless voice, her eyes fixed on the dragon. That sent chills to the green changeling. The alien princess was not showing any sign but the green changeling could feel anger boiling inside her, her usually sweet perfume had become acid and spicy. He took a step back unconsciously, never having seen his cheerful friend so angry. Before he could reply Starfire disappeared from his sight and he heard a loud roar as she collided with the dragon, tackling him into the wall on the right on the throne and disappearing into the night sky. As he looked through the huge gap they had created in the stones he could only see an intense bright green glow emanating from her.

At the same time as Starfire had jumped at Malchior, Cheshire had managed to evade one of Speedy's arrows and had retreated into the corridor. He had ran after her yelling to his friends he was going to take her down before disappearing.

"Oh, and the others are coming, they should be there soon!" He had added, his voice barely reaching them. Now that the room was empty except for him, Robin and Kid Flash, Beast Boy looked around. He saw the speedster kneeling over Robin and checking his vital signs.

"He's okay for now." Said the redhead as he looked back up towards the green teen. "I'll take him somewhere safe and get him treated. You go after her, I'll come back as soon as I can with the others. Go!" He exclaimed as he took Robin in his arms and started walking towards the doors.

Beast Boy simply nodded and as he turned around to the dark end of the room he felt it, her smell was still floating around the room, even thought it was very faint.

This made the choice obvious. He felt his anger rise once more and let it take over him, though this time it was different. He could still think clearly, his mind wasn't clouded like the last times he had changed into the Beast and the usually bloodthirsty voice in his mind didn't roar for blood. This time it stayed silent, supporting him from the shadows and not taking over. The green changeling took off and was rapidly engulfed by the darkness.


	20. Chapter 18 - the Dark And The Witch

***** UPDATE : I just realized I had forgotten to add a sentence and noticed that a few of the characters thoughts weren't in italic, I haven't verified this in the earlier chapter but everything that the characters think should be in Italic so if it isn't sorry for that but I meant it tobe, I'll have to go and check that later... :S Anyways, sorry, not a new chapter... yet! :) It will come later, this afternoon I think, so I'm sorry once again if I dissapoint you with this bu I really had to add that sentence, it's important to me. :) It's at the end of the second paragraph if you don't want to re-read the whole thing, which understand. Anyways, sorry again and be on the lookout for chapter 19! :D *****

Once more the daily chapter returns a bit late! :P Here it's already past midnight (though barely) so technically I'm late in posting this chapter...

Anyways, another chapter that I hope you will enjoy reading and that brings us closer to the end (I'm thinking around five chapters now, maybe a bit more but not by much... well that's what i estimate so it's not a hundred percent viable info... not even fifty I'd say... x) ). Some big fights are coming starting next chapter, can you guess what it will be? :P

I tried to keep up the 'smaller paragraphs' policy but I don't know if I managed it too well this time... :S Well anyways, thanks for the reviews and for keeping on reading people, it really makes me happy and really motivates me to keep up the rythm! :D

Good reading and see ya later! :) (gotta go to sleep now... :P)

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The dark corridor was completely devoid of light and as silent as death as Beast Boy rapidly progressed through it, only managing not to hit the walls or stumble thanks to his super senses. Only the echoes of his footsteps could be heard. He had picked up some tricks with each animal transformation and for once having been a bat had its perks. He was running as fast as he could in such a space, cursing the corridor for being so long and hoping he could reach her in time. I think she was taken away by Slade a bit earlier. Starfire's replayed over and over in his head, giving him the surge of energy he needed and completely over riding the tiredness he should be starting to feel. It wasn't entirely his doing, he knew the Beast was ushering him these words to keep him motivated and to keep his anger boiling inside him. For the first time since he had first transformed he started to truly understand the creature inside him. It wasn't only anger and bloodthirst, it represented his instincts, the reflexes that had been buried deep under millennia of civilizations. He had to accept that he was far more impulsive and aggressive that he wanted to be, but it also meant he could use these "gifts" to help others. His thoughts and the Beast's were on the same wavelength.

At first everyone had thought he was going to harm Raven when in fact all he wanted was to protect her. It had taken him time to understand why he had that urge to protect the powerful dark witch but now it was becoming clear. She was very important both to him and to the Beast, she was his very important friend, sometimes he even hoped she would be more than that, and it wanted, as much as it troubled him to think it, to make her its mate. They were sharing everything they were and had towards a common goal since he had accepted the Beast. The reason that drove him had changed, he didn't feel the urge to spill blood or spread death, he had only one thing in mind, one word echoing again and again. _Raven._

The green changeling was also starting to understand more about his powers. He had always thought that he could only transform into animals he had seen or touched, except for the Beast which was a special case, but that strange incomplete transformation was bugging him since he had defeated Adonis.

It was something he had never seen, felt or tried before. He had always transformed fully in any animal he wanted to, never reflecting on the possibility that he could only transform partially or even try to mix more than one transformation at the same time. But if what he thought, and what his instincts in the form of the Beast were ushering him, was true then that opened whole new worlds to him. He had long since learned to believe and trust in his instincts but that was simply too big to just trust, he had to see and feel it for himself to be sure. Although he hadn't had the opportunity nor the time to reflect on this and to pursue this thought Beast Boy could tell he was feeling somewhat different, like a door had opened in his mind, sharpening it and heightening his senses. His instincts felt more alive and his body seemed to forget the strain of the fight. The green teenager was lost in thoughts when he realized that he was quickly nearing the end of the corridor, a dim re light was emanating from a slightly opened door on the other end. He shook out of his thoughts and focused on his surroundings again, careful not to get surprised again by a sudden attack or a trap. As he stopped at the door he could hear a low humming coming from the inside of the room and the red light was flickering in a regular rhythm. He slowly and silently pushed the door open and what he saw surprised him.

Raven was lying a few centimeters over a stone altar, levitating, probably recovering from her wounds. Her eyes were closed and her arms were folded over her stomach. She seemed unhurt but the changeling knew she must have suffered a harsh treatment if she was in her regenerative state. Anger coursed through his veins as he noticed the second person in the room. Slade was sitting cross-legged on a huge stone not far away from the altar, his eye was closed but Beast Boy knew he was not the least bit asleep. He also noticed that the strange red glow was actually coming from runic carvings in the stone of the altar but before he could investigate what they were Slade stirred from his immobilism and turned towards him, his lone eye now opened and fixed on him.

"Welcome to your end Titan." He simply said before standing up.

As Cyborg was nearing the huge doors and the great stone wall surrounding the fortress he noticed the corpses of the Slade bots that were lying on the ground. Near them were unconscious villains. Adonis was crumpled near a completely ruined power suit, Kyd Wykkyd was lying unconscious on the ground near Billy Numerous who was almost covered by a pile of robot scraps. There was also a hole in the shape of a man carved in the stone wall but no one was here to fill it. They passed through the door only to be face with more robot parts and villain's unconscious corpses. Gizmo was lying unconscious, and badly beaten up, on the ground near a wall while another man shaped hole in the wall could be seen not far away, this time filled up by the body of Dr. Light. Mammoth was lying unconscious on the ground a few meters inside the huge stone building, he had seemingly been thrown at the huge doors, busting them open and being knocked out at the same time with his momentum.

As the half machine man, the flying East Titan's leader and the two Guatemalan twins were about to enter the citadel they were greeted by a large group of Slade bots appearing out of nowhere.

"Damn it!" Exclaimed Bumblebee. "Are they ever going to stop coming and leave us alone?!" She asks exasperated.

"I don't think so…" Sighed Cyborg, preparing his sonic beam and taking a battle stance as he hears the twins yelling something at the robots before disappearing in a white and red flash. The robots jump and the two remaining Titans, some of them inexplicably falling to pieces as they start attacking and Cyborg shoots two of them down with his beam before being pushed out of the way of a well placed laser by the winged girl. The bot that was trying to get him from behind was quickly cut in two by her B-shaped weapons and crumpled to the ground.

"Thanks Bee!" Smiled Cyborg.

"You're welcome Sparky!" Yelled the eastern Titans before jumping at another robot. Another wave of robots appeared at that moment. Damn, they're starting to overwhelm us! Thought the black Titan as he tried to take down as much as he could with his beam, noticing that as soon as they were defeated others came to replace the Slade bots in front of the destroyed doors. When are they going to stop coming? He was starting to panic, even with his batteries at full power and his three powerful allies they wouldn't hold forever if the bots kept com

As he groaned in frustration as a new wave of bots appeared and was about to jump at them he saw several violet beams flying from the opening in the walls of the stone citadel and blow up in the robots' faces as soon as they hit them. He watched in awe as nearly all the robots fell to the ground and turned towards the origin of the attack as Mas and Menos tore down the last standing bot with the help of Bumblebee. The cyborg knew quite well who used this kind of attack and that's why he was only half surprised to see the pink-haired witch standing in the huge doorway, smirking at them. What is she doing here? He thought, immediately pointing his canon at her.

"What-?" He started asking before she cut him off.

"No need to thank me, that was nothing." She exclaims, not abandoning her smug smile. "I'm not here to fight you if that's what you expect, I just came here to tell you the boy wonder and the witch are on the fifth floor, with Slade. Your friends already went after them, you should hurry up if you want to catch up with them." She added pointing behind her and leaning against the doorframe. Cyborg looked at Bumblebee and nodded at him before entering the tower, followed by the two younger speedsters. She knew as well as him that this could be a trap and that Jinx could be lying, she had always been good at deceiving people. But their friends needed them and they couldn't turn down a chance to get in the tower, trap or no trap. He in turn followed the two other Titans in the tower and only stopped before disappearing inside to look back at the witch.

"Why?" He simply asked. She looked back at him surprised he was still there and he saw her expression change from somewhat sad and melancholic, maybe concerned, to a scowl as she locked eyes with him.

"I'm not doing that for you." She simply stated before adding. "Now go before I change my mind and decide to jinx you ass to hell!" She turned back and walked towards the high stone wall and the outer doors. Cyborg didn't know what to think of what he had just heard and as he also turned back, following his teammates in the depths of the fortress, he repeated the phrase in his head. _I'm not doing it for you._ He immediately thought back to his time at Hive when had and Jinx had had a thing for each other. He had felt some kind of connection with the pink witch at that time but he knew it was only momentary and on the spur of the moment. _I'm not doing this for you. He heard her say again. But then for who?_ The question echoed in his mind but remained unanswered as he walked in a huge room.


	21. Chapter 19 - The Princess And The Dragon

Well here is the nineteenth chapter of _The Beast Inside_! :D

Fights are raging everywhere as the Titans are trying to save their friends and save their friends but will their powers and teamwork be enough to overcome the villain mastermind and his allies?

**TheImaginativeFox** : Yep, several battlescenes coming up here, so for those who like action well I dare say you shall be served! :P

Thanks for all the reviews and for reading this story! :D

Now, i'll leave you to enjoy this amazingly action packed chapter and leave my computer for a few hours to go and eat... :P Enjoy! ;)

Ps: Oh, and for those who didn't see i updated the latest chapter a bit, I noticed I had forgotten a sentence at the end of the second paragraph, it doesn't change much but I really wanted to put it there so I went and modified it a bit... :)

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The purple dragon roared as it touched the ground, it spun around and face the little pest that had dared to attack him. Starfire was scowling at the huge creature as he morphed into his human form once he had landed on the ground, she descended and stabilized to float about half a meter above the grass of the battlefield. She had managed to bring him away from her friends and though her friends very rarely saw her get angry she was now fulminating. They were now facing each other somewhere in a clearing behind the huge building. Her green aura was shining in an intense bright light and her eyes had completely disappeared behind it. As the dragon in his human form eyed her carefully a smile appeared on his face.

"Well Starfire, isn't it? It seems you hope to defeat me on your own." He scoffed before morphing once again into his dragon form. "Oh I will so enjoy ripping you apart!" His voice was now deep and echoed into the night. The alien princess didn't react to this comment, she kept her full concentration on the mythical creature, knowing very well he had the advantage as she was already a bit worn out and it was nighttime. If she wanted to defeat him she would have to be clever and not miss any chance or else she was probably done for.

Despite her carefree and cheerful nature Starfire was a true Tamarean, she had been raised to become a warrior and to use her great powers to fight. She was maybe not as good at devising strategies as Robin or at using her battle instincts as Beast Boy but the training she had received before being sent off her home planet and the one that Robin had made her regularly do had honed her abilities. She was far faster and resistant than any of them and if she managed to use that to her advantage she might be able to win this fight. Her face was a mask of determination and had not betrayed any of her thoughts, she knew how important knowledge was during a battle.

"Always the poker face," Had told her the boy wonder. "If you can hide your intentions until the last moment that you will have the upper hand in a fight." As she recalled the memory of that day where she had had the rare opportunity to train alone with him she felt her will strengthen, she had to protect her friends for him. Starfire saw her opponent slightly shift on his rear legs and immediately knew what was coming, and so as the dragon lunged at her she evaded the attack without much difficulty, taking off once more into the sky. She charged two star bolts and threw them at the dragon but despite his great size Malchior was much more agile than she had thought and with a well placed barrel roll in mid air he evaded her bolts and flew right at her. He opened his mouth and a blazing fire erupted shooting directly towards Starfire. The alien princess dived down and came from below to punch the dragon in the stomach. Unfortunately he saw her attack coming and managed to increase his altitude with a single flap of his great wings, still getting grazed by her attack but not receiving the hit frontally. He roared and stabilized himself at her level before shooting flames once more as he suddenly bolted forwards. The Titans only had time to throw him a wave of star bolts as she saw his head emerge from the hellish blaze and was forced to fly backwards as he threw a large paw at her.

But the alien wasn't quick enough and Malchior caught her with his other paw and sent her flying straight into the stone wall of the citadel. Starfire regained her balance and found herself deeply embed in the wall, her body was surrounded by huge cracks and as she looked up she saw the dragon flying straight at her opening his maw once again. The alien princess only had time to push on her legs and propel herself out of the way of the purple creature. She took flight once again soon pursued by Malchior who had stopped himself before crashing into the wall with a back flip.

This time though Starfire was ready for his attack and greeted him with a powerful punch around which she had made a star bolt appear and sent the dragon tumbling back towards the ground. The huge purple creature hit the ground on its back hard but the alien princess knew Malchior was much more persistent than that and prepared to throw a new wave of star bolts as he was already standing up. The dragon was barely back up on his legs that he was hit full forced by a compact barrage fire of green star bolts. Finally the alien sent a huge wave of energy at her opponent, the ground exploded around him and smoke shot up in the sky.

When the smoke cleared Starfire could see Malchior lying on the ground in his back in a large crater, unmoving and apparently unconscious. She cautiously flew back down to the ground and approached him, careful not to let her guard down, with each step she took she tensed a bit more. As she was barely two meters away from him his torso suddenly shot up as he took in a large breath of air and opened his eyes. Starfire backed up and prepared to resume the fight but she knew she couldn't hold on much more, her body was aching all over and without the sun's light she couldn't replenish her energy and was almost at its lowest. She was breathing heavily and she knew she only had the energy for one last attack, her anger alone wasn't going to help her hold on, she had to make it worth it.

Malchior in his human form slowly stood back up and turned towards his opponent, as he locked eyes with her he started launching. This time his voice was deep despite his appearance.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! Look at this, the princess is almost out of energy. Ar you sure you can still fight my dear?" He asked in a smooth yet mocking tone. "Well, at least I'll enjoy ripping you apart…" He smiled, baring his sharp fangs as his body grew in size and he once again took the form of a dragon. He lunged at the Tamarean princess who quickly evaded his attack and flew as high as she could. If she wanted to succeed she needed as much altitude as she could have. The dragon, thinking she was trying to escape, followed her and laughed, his roar echoing throughout the night. Starfire could feel her energy draining rapidly as she soared high above the ground, she had to act quickly or it would have been all for naught. She suddenly stopped climbing, stabilizing at almost eight six thousand feet, and concentrated what energy she had left in her fists, making them glow bright green. The she let herself fall back down towards the dragon that still had to catch up with her.

He roared as he saw her coming down and she responded with a battle cry equally fierce. Fire blazed from the creature's mouth and she barreled through it, her fists extended in front of her, ready to collide full force with the dragon. That's when it happened, a huge explosion of fire and green energy in the sky, creating huge wave of energy. The sound of the explosion made the whole building below it shake and a cloud of smoke expanded from the point of impact. A few instants after that a lone girl with fiery red hair fell towards the earth, her eyes closed and her arms dangling besides her. A dragon soon followed and let out a roar as he caught up with the girl, catching her in his claws before she hit the ground and bearing his fangs once more in a wicked smile as he landed.

When Starfire opened her eyes she instantly felt the pain in her arms and flinched with a sharp intake of air. Then she noticed the two glowing red orbs fixed on her and that she was held tightly between the dragon's claws. She squirmed but was too weak to get free.

"It looks like you are done for princess." The dragon boomed. "It's a pity, you would've been a gorgeous addition to our army…" He sighed." But I presume you would never let us control you so I'm afraid this is the end for you." His hot breath flowed against her face as he breathed.

"I have enjoyed our little bout and I shall enjoy even more to tear you apart and hear you scream." He laughed again. "I wonder who will scream the loudest when I reunite your friends later with you… Maybe that masked leader of yours. Don't you think?"

Starfire had always despised all those who attempted to hurt her friends but she tried to be as forgiving as she could, never wanting to become like what her sister had once been. But some she would never forgive and Malchior was one of them, he had hurt her only girl friend in the team and had threatened to do so to her and Robin. Her, she didn't care, but he dared to threaten her friends and what's more Robin! Never in the three moons of Rakhbar was she going to let anyone hurt him. She was about to spit back an answer to the dragon when suddenly a memory imposed itself in her mind and her eyes unfocused for barely a second but it was enough for Malchior to notice.

When she focused her eyes on him again he could almost feel her anger and her affection for her teammates, especially a dark haired boy. Malchior's brows furrowed as he tried to understand what she was trying to do but she simply looked at him, her eyes never wavering. The dragon was about to add another cutting remark when she spoke.

"No one hurts my friends!" She exclaimed before looking at the sky as a dark wave of energy encased her whole body and she managed to free herself from his grip. He barely had time to react before she threw a punch at him.


	22. Chapter 20 - The Training Master

Aaaand there is the twentieth chapter! :D

I thought I'd never have time to write it today and almost prepared myself to tell you guys you'd have to wait till tomorrow to get it, but fortunately it took me a lot less time than I had thougt to write it so, you're lucky I dare say! :P

This one is a less action packed one than the last one but it's a transition towards a few other battle scenes and soon will be the final battle. Will the Titans succeed? *Niark Niark Niark* :P

I hope you enjoy reading it! ;)

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"I have enjoyed our little bout and I shall enjoy even more to tear you apart and hear you scream." She heard the dragon laugh again as he said that."I wonder who will scream the loudest when I reunite your friends later with you… Maybe that masked leader of yours. Don't you think?"

Starfire was filled with a turmoil of emotions. Anger was boiling in her veins, she wanted to crush the skull of the winged villain once and for all so that he may never hurt her friends again. She felt affection, no scratch, love echoes at each of her heartbeats, love for her friends and love for their masked leader. Since Tokyo things had not progressed much between her and Robin despite all of her will, she desperately wanted him to notice her, to give her a sign that what they had shared was real. She needed him. Despair was crushing her lungs, she didn't know how she was going to make it out of this alive, was she going to die here and now as Malchior had said? Had her end already come? And then there was hope. And tingling sensation at the back of her head, almost unnoticeable, as if some small insect was dancing on her neck. She had no idea why she was feeling that, no one could come to her help at that moment, she had isolated in the hope of preventing her friends from being hurt but it had turned against her. She groaned in pain as the dragon's claw tightened around her body. What was she hoping for? What in the world could happen now to help her? She had been overconfident, trusting in her powers more than she should have, it reminded her of her sister. Komand'r, who had been to arrogant to accept her as a better fighter.

That's when the tingling sensation became more pronounced, it itched her and as it slowly took over her whole body she was overcome with flashes and feelings that she had thought to be long forgotten. Images of her home planet, the joy she had felt when she was but a little bumgorf, the sweet smells emanating from the great kitchens of the royal palace. The sounds of swords clashing as the soldiers trained, the acid smell that she always felt in her mouth when her sister would devise a plot and advise her not to tell anyone. Of course she could never hold her tongue very long and Blackfire would always hate her for that. But one memory in particular came into focus in her mind. It was a training session for her sister which she had been forced to attend, Nightfire was training in the mastery of her powers and the energy that surged through her body.

She was being taught how to gather and project that energy coming from their sun, of course being the perfect princess she was, she was mastering her powers much faster than any other Tamarean in training and was the pride of their parents. It had taken almost two years for Starfire to learn how to properly master the flow of solar energy when she had started training, but Blackfire had mastered the basic use in a mere month and had learned how to fight properly with it in six. That particular day her master in training was teaching her how to stock energy in her body efficiently and how to canalize it through every muscle to fly and to shoot star bolts.

"You must be master over mind and body Komand'r. If your concentration is disrupted then your powers will fail you and if they fail you, you will become extremely vulnerable. Restore your energy as often as you can so that you always are ready. Today we will learn how to do that as we fight so that you can regenerate without having to gain time." He had told her, the dark haired girl only nodded and took a fighting stance but the master had other plans. "No, we do not fight yet, first you must learn how to regenerate unconsciously, as if it was a reflex. We will move outside for this lesson." They had gone outside and had started the training, simply concentrating and building up their energy reserves. When he considered her ready the master took flight and told her to try and catch him. Seeing her uninterested face he smiled knowing what would motivate her.

"If you manage to touch me once then we shall end this lesson for today and spar instead." As soon as he had pronounced those words she had jumped at him but he had been prepared and escaped her small hand easily. He laughed and flew higher, the young Blackfire trying to catch him as he veered right, left and in every possible direction each time she was about to touch him. She quickly seemed exhausted and had to take a break, but he shook his head.

"No, you can't stop, you have to keep flying after me, if you don't then no sparring for a whole week." Seeing Blackire's head perk up again he added. "Focus on the energy around you, concentrate on the light that surround us, feel the sun rays on your skin and absorb it, then transfer it to your whole body."

They had kept going until the sky was dark and night had come.

"Well that was not bad for a first try Komand'r. I dare say you have almost understood how to regenerate as you fly, you make very good progress. Tomorrow we will start again." She nodded at him before he continued. She had simply bowed and turned around to leave, smirking at her sister for the praise she had just received. The master turned towards Starfire.

"Koriand'r, I hope you have watched closely how your sister did today for soon it will be your turn." The small redhead had then nodded enthusiastically before following her sister back towards the palace, not yet knowing it would prove much more difficult for her. The scene jumped to a few years later, this time the roles were reversed. It was Kori's turn to master her powers and her sister was watching her as she tried to control them with a smirk on her face.

"No Koriand'r! You must concentrate, do not let your emotions interrupt the flow of your concentration! Let the light enter your body and flow through it." The master scolded her, unpleased by the little progress she had made in the past weeks. "You must focus! Feel the energy around you, let the sun give you it's power and act as a vessel for it!" Starfire was trying her hardest to concentrate but she still didn't manage the simple exercise that her was trying to teach her.

"If you can't replenish your energy as you fight than I cannot imagine how you will succeed in a fight, and much less what will happen if ever you were to be surprised at night…" He sighed as he turned his head towards the setting sun. "It is almost night now, we will stop for today but be ready to continue first light in the morning!" He exclaimed as he flew back to the ground. Starfire was almost on the verge of crying at that point, despite all her good will she still hadn't mastered the third stage of training that was required from her to become a leader one day.

Komand'r simply sniggered at her sister, she enjoyed seeing how she was so clumsy and unable to perform even the simplest tasks. She walked towards the master a question in mind.

"Master?" She asked to get his attention. "How are we to fight if it is still night? Without the sun we would deplete our energy reserves and wouldn't last long enough…"

"That is why you must always store as much energy as you can in your body, to be ready whenever you must fight. Of course you would always be at a disadvantage at night but that can be overcome with great mastery of your energy, as you have proven to have unlike Koriand'r." Starfire could have sworn her sister was glowing, literally as she had thought her energy halo had suddenly gotten brighter, but she didn't say anything and simply listened intently as Blackfire asked yet another question.

"But, wouldn't it be possible to use the remaining energy around us? There always are traces of solar energy all around us, even at night…" She had asked. The master looked at her intently for a few seconds, wondering why she was asking such a question, before carefully choosing his words to answer.

"Yes my dear, this is a valid point. But we can only survive on pure energy and the one that remains once night has taken over is not to be messed with. It would be possible indeed to use it but it would be like poison to us. You would die before your body could adapt, your fate would be sealed and I fear saving would be beyond even our powers… Only energy coming directly from a star can suit our needs. Our sun is the closest and therefore the easiest but any star would do. Though the farther it is from us the hardest that would be to use its energy. But _nightlight_, as some call it, or as you said remnant solar energy is impure and would kill us in a matter of minutes if we tried to use it." He paused for a moment, trying to read the expression on his disciple's face. "It is in theory possible to harvest that energy but not practically efficient. I advise you not to pursue on that road Komand'r, not as your master but as a friend." The brunette bowed to him.

"Of course master, it was only theoretically speaking." She answered. Starfire had expected him to dismiss them but he spoke again.

"If you wish we could discuss this matter one day, when your training is completed, and maybe even explore the possibilities it offers. Though until then please refrain from researching it on your own." The black haired princess simply nodded and walked back towards the castle, followed by her younger sister, as the master finally dismissed them.

The memory ended and Starfire blinked, she was back in Malchior's clutches. She looked at him and the explanation of her master all those years ago echoed in her head. She then looked at the dark sky around her. If her intuition was correct she was about to do something extremely dangerous but that might reverse the tide of the battle in her favor. And he had no other choice anyways, her friends needed her, she had to help them no matter the cost. She focused on the energy around her, it took her a few seconds but she finally sensed what she was looking for. It seemed so weak compared to what she was used to but she could feel it all around her, energy was buzzing everywhere. She willed it to come to her, to fill her body and to rejuvenate her. She looked back at the dragon, feeling her energy restoring itself slowly, locking eyes with him, a determined look on her face. She could see he was trying to understand what she was thinking and trying to do and so, as she felt her energy levels rocket up she took a breath and let it flow through her veins.

"No one hurts my friends!" She yelled at the purple creature as the dark energy emanated from her body and covered her completely.


	23. Chapter 21 - The Fire Of The Star

Okay, so here is the 21st chapter! :D

Thank you for the reviews! :)

**JasonVUK, **thanks! I'm happy you enjoy the fight! :D (I'm never too sure if the fight scenes I describe are always worth it so it's nive to have a fan! ;) ).

**twolostsouls25, **yep, I've made it seem so for the simple reason that it's the couple I anted to talk about the most when I started this fic, in fact I started with the scene witht he Beast asking BB what e was going to do to save Raven before any other came to my mind. I must admit I've added a lot of things I hadn't thought about at first but don't worry, they will have their moment of glory! :P

Now, I'll leave you guys to read it, I'm tired, gotta go to sleep... :P Enjoy! :D

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Malchior knew something was wrong as soon as he saw the black halo surround the alien's body. That bastard of a wizard had once pulled a similar trick all those years ago, tricking him in thinking he was safe and revealing his hidden technique at the last minute, trapping him in that godforsaken book. Things started to go downhill when she managed to push back his claws and free herself from his grip.

The dragon backed away from the alien princess, landing a few meters away to observe its opponent. Observing was a skill Malchior had perfected during all those years spent trapped between pages of a book. He had learned patience and, contrary to his brethren, the mastery of his rage. The moment he had laid his eyes on his opponent and had noticed the black halo he had known this fight would become much harder and that the outcome was once more unknown. He watched, every muscle in his body tensed, as the young woman floated a foot above the ground, her eyes fixed on him and glowing with a deep red color. Then she flew at him and he readied himself for a counterattack.

Starfire let the power course through her body before acting, her warrior instincts told her she should not attack immediately, that it was better if she waited a few seconds to get accustomed to the new feeling. She looked at her arms and noticed the usual green glow had been replaced by a dark blue color. The words still echoed in her mind. _"Our sun is the closest and therefore the easiest but any star would do."_ She hadn't understood these words at first, not even paid much attention to them, but it came as an evidence to her. The sun was the closest star to Earth, but it wasn't the only one. At night millions of other heavenly lights lit the small planet and bathed it in their light. Of course it had travelled a far greater distance and for far longer and therefore it was also in smaller quantities, but there were so many stars, more than any soul could count, and the combined energy they sent towards the Earth was unimaginable.

It also felt much more ancient and somewhat more powerful. _No, that's not the word…_ Thought the princess as she observed the blue tendrils appearing on her skin and disappearing almost immediately only to be replaced by new ones. _It's more dense, as if it contained all the experience of its travels…_ This thought came as an evidence to her as soon as it had appeared in her mind, the energy from the stars scattered across the universe but each particle gained from its long journey across the deep black space.

They had filled with energy, feeding on other stars and planets, and now this energy was being absorbed and transformed by her body. This process strained more, as it took more concentration to control the light from far away stars, but it also gave her new possibilities, the ever cheerful Titan felt as if she had just stepped on the battlefield, her wounds were healing and her sore body was feeling light and full of energy again.

When she felt like she had waited long enough she locked eyes with the huge winged creature in front of her and devised an attack strategy. She could feel him tense and get ready to react as soon as she would make her move, but somehow she was confident in her powers and abilities and that made her feel calm. Much calmer that she ever had been since she had been taught to fight, almost at peace. She slowly breathed in, letting the oxygen fill her lungs and then, passing through her blood, fill in turn her muscles, then as she slowly released it she lunged at the dragon.

As she was about to throw a punch at him he dodged her attack, as if he had been expecting her to act first. Of course, Starfire already knew that he would try to counter attack rather than move first, she knew he wanted to study her and see what she was capable of before acting. But she wouldn't leave him that chance, she didn't have time to play around, her friends needed her help and she had to be there for them. She suddenly veered in direction of Malchior and threw another punch, taking him off guard this time and sending him flying into the wall this time. His huge body crashed into the hard stone, creating a huge crater and creating large cracks.

Starfire immediately followed with a volley of star bolts and, this time, the wall didn't resist and completely collapsed under the power of the blue energy. She flew inside the building, following her opponent, and was immediately faced with a wall of fire.

"Don't think that because you learned a new trick you can defeat me so easily girl!" Roared Malchior's deep voice. She was about to cut through it with a few star bolts when he jumped out of the inferno and rammed her into the wall, trapping her against it with his claws. "I am as old as the world and you hope to defeat me? Not in a thousand years princess!" He was barring all his teeth and was about to throw her against another wall when he felt her hand grip his claws.

The dark blue halo glowed brightly around her body and as she grabbed his claws she saw him recoil out of pain. _How?_ He thought as he felt the searing pain. How could a mere rat, burn him, the great and mighty Malchior?! _A dragon does not fear fire, so why does it burn?!_ He looked at her as she slowly stepped towards him and felt his body freeze. As her eyes bore into him he felt as if she was peering directly into his soul and found himself completely unable to move. Even Rorek had not instilled as much fear in him when he had revealed the banishing spell and he had realized he was trapped. So how could a mere girl scare him like that? What was it about her that made him want to turn away and flee?

He did not have time to find an answer to his questions as she stopped just in front of him, grabbing his claws once more, he felt the pain again. Somehow that girl was making his scales burn and the fact that it shouldn't have been possible couple to the fact he didn't know how she did it rendered him unable to act.

Only when she increased the strength of her grip and forced him to kneel did he try to jerk his arms free but to no avail. The pain increased even more and he roared. She then let go one of his arms and put her free hand on his head. He felt the temperature increase slowly on his scales until it became unbearable and he roared again, not able to contain the pain. That's when he noticed he had reverted back to his human for, unconsciously trying to escape from her. She locked eyes with him once more and when she spoke her voice seemed a lot deeper than usual.

"You shall not hurt my friends anymore. Be gone dragon!" With that she released his huge head and pushed him back, sending him toppling into the wall behind him. As he looked back up once more he saw her hands glow even brighter as she charged two star bolts, ready to launch them at him. Malchior knew he had to run, he knew he should've reacted and fled but his legs refused to obey him.

The blue light became so intense it made everything else disappear as if it swallowed the whole world around him. He wondered for a moment if it had indeed before being hit in the chest. The last thing he felt before everything became dark was the scorching sensation on his chest and the overwhelming presence of the burning blue light all around him.

This fire was more intense than anything he had ever felt or faced, it couldn't come from earth, it was something from another universe, a level of existence even he, the powerful dragon, couldn't even begin to comprehend. _It's not possible, it can't be from this world…_ Was the last thing he thought as a vision of himself appeared in his mind. He was small and powerless, floating aimlessly before a huge blazing ball of blue fire, a star so big it felt like it could devour the universe in its flames.

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Very rare thing, I'm adding a comment at the end of this chapter! (It's a miracle! :D)

Well that's because I wanted to say something that I didn't want to add at the beginning so as not to spoil the chapter :P

So, for this chapter I really have the feeling that it's rushed. Like I haven't said anything like I wanted to and that I went to fast with the description of Star's discovery of her powers and about the fight... Also it might seem weird that Malchior cowers before her so easily but I really wanted to make him seem completely overwhelmed by her new power and completely sh*tting his pants! :P

Anyways, I hope I didn't screw it up too much, I apologize if I did. I wanted to post a chapter today at all cost and I didn't really have time to write it before so as I'm wrapping this up it's about half past two in the morning and I'm really tired. I feel like something has gone horribly wrong in this chapter but I can't concentrate enough to see what, so I'll probably come back to it omorrow to see what could be improved...

Anyways, I hoped you like it and if you have time pleasereview and tell me what you thought about it, I really would like to have your oppinions on this one.

See ya and g'night! :P


	24. Not A Chapter (Again :P)

Hey guys! :D

Okay, I'll keep this short 'cause I'm really too tired to write a lot.

I just wanted to say I won't upload any chapter for today, I've started writing it and it's coming quite well but I don't have the strength to finish it. So it'll only be out tomorrow. Maybe I'll try to finish the second one so that you may have both of them the same day but nothing is sure.

Anyways I'll also try to come back to number 21 soon and try to rewrite it better because I'm really not satisfied with what I've done and I really want to do this well! It's not a long story and I really want it to bethe best that I can do! :)

So please excuse me for giving you false hope, I'm really sorry but no chapter today... :S

I'll see you tomorrow then, later! :)

PS: A small sneek peek for the next chapter : it'll be called The Cat And The Mouse (a little pun I came up with by playing with the names of the characters, I'll let you guess who it'll be about! ;) )


	25. Chapter 22 - The Cat And The Mouse

Okay, here is chapter number 22 (i think)! :D

I hope you enjoy it, I think I did a better job than on the last one (which was by all standards a fiasco) though I'm still not sure...

Anyways, the next chapter should be up very soon too (or at least I hope so, if I manage to finish it by midnight :P), so I'll let you enjoy this one and in the mean time go and finish the next one! :P

See ya!

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"Stop! Come back!" Yelled the archer clad in red as Cheshire disappeared around a corner again. He had been following her for almost ten minutes already and she gave no sign of fatigue though he felt that he wouldn't be able to run much longer, he had to get her to stop. She had stopped once and had surprised him with a wild slash of her blades but when he had jumped back to evade her attack she had simply thrown a kunai at him and had started running again. They had passed through the whole fifth floor like that and were now on the sixth one though Cheshire still seemed to want to go up. _Damn it! When is she going to stop?! _Cursed Speedy. He had thought of shooting arrows at her but as the first three had either been deflected or evaded as she turned at a corner he had decided to save them up for later and had just tried to keep up with the Asian villain. As she once again disappeared around a corner he sped up, only to see a green piece of cloth disappear in circular stairs. He climbed them three by three but still did not manage to catch up with her.

Only when he arrived on the open space of the roof did the red-headed Titan stop and notched an arrow on his bow. Cheshire had stopped running and was standing casually in the middle of the roof, apparently not interested in fighting.

"Well, I half expected you to crawl your way up here, you're wheezing like a storm wind!" She mocked and Speedy was almost sure she was really smirking under the toothy grin of her mask.

"And I didn't think you would be coward enough to run away!" Shot back the young man, cringing at his own remark. _Damn it! You're usually better than that Speedy! _The villain simply scoffed and shrugged before taking up a fighting stance.

"Well I'm ready to fight now, if that's what you want hot stuff!" That took Speedy aback and he unconsciously blushed for a second before regaining his composure. _Damn it!_ How could she always have that effect on him? Why couldn't he simply take her down and be finished with it, but no! Of course they had to play this little game each time! It was starting to get very unnerving… I'm not pulling a Kid Flash here! He slapped himself mentally and forced his lips to form a mocking smile.

"Who says I came here to fight, hot stuff?" He simply replied back, his smirk growing as he saw her composure fall briefly before she calmed herself again and laughed.

"Nice! I like men with wits!" She replied just before jumping at him. Cheshire slashed her metal claws at the red archer but he had seen the hit coming and evaded her attack, shooting the explosive he had notched earlier and rolled to the side as it exploded on the wall near where the assassin was standing.

Unfortunately for him Cheshire had also seen that coming and had managed to deflect his arrow at the last moment, escaping from the fire and rolling to face the archer again. She drew out two kunai and threw them at the Titan but he evaded the first one and deflected the second with another arrow that he notched up on his bow before shooting it at her. She jumped out of the way as it embedded itself in the wall behind her and ran up to the young red head before he could shoot his next arrow. The assassin slashed at him but he deflected her hits with his bow and the arrow he had just taken out, they attacked each other at close distance for a few minutes like this, parrying and slashing at their opponent in turns.

One might have thought that Speedy being an archer wasn't comfortable with blades or hand to hand combat but one of the first things Oliver Queen, more secretly known as Green Arrow had taught him was close up combat. Of course their main weapon was always to be te bow but in ever need be he had to know how to deal with close up attacks and blades. Green Arrow had taught his sidekick a few martial arts that might come in handy and how to wield a knife if ever he had to drop his bow in a fight. Also unknown to many people but both the Arrows' bows were reinforced with metal layers, making them a bit heavier but also useful if ever they had to deflect a sword before taking out a their knife.

Cheshire, having mostly fought against him from a distance didn't know all this of course and so when Speedy used his bow to deflect her claws and dropped it, making her lose her balance a moment, to take out a knife she was surprised. It was momentary of course, as an assassin she had had to learn how to deal with any situation that came up on the job and she quickly recovered. But she understood her opponent was not to be underestimated, she was starting to see him in a new light.

"Heh! Impressive!" She scoffed. "I didn't know you could fight without your bow!" She exclaimed from behind her mask a he slashed at her with his knife, deflecting her blades and hitting her in the ribs with the flat of his palm. A crack could be heard as the hand hit her and she instantly knew that one of her ribs had been broken, she could already feel the pain spreading through her rib cage as she breathed.

"You're better at this than I expected… But it still won't be enough!" She jumped at him again and this time the red archer wasn't so lucky and only managed to evade one of the claw like blades and got hit in the right shoulder by the other. Cheshire laughed as she frantically attacked and jumped around him, slashing at every opening she found and finding herself being countered each time.

_Damn it!_ Cursed the young man. _She really is enjoying this! She's mad…_ Speedy was sure that if the assassin's mask would fall off he would see an even wider grin than it displayed and that scared him out of his wits. _She really is mad!_

"Can't we just stop fighting and discuss this calmly around a nice coffee or something?!" He exclaimed, panting, as he once again evaded one of the deadly blades by jumping backwards. He found himself back to the wall and cursed inwardly once again.

"Oh! Are you proposing a date?" She asked, tilting her head to the side as she slowly walked up to him. "Sorry." She shrugged before leaping at him again. "But I really can't accept that offer!"

Speedy saw the scene in slow motion but if you asked him how everything happened in so little time he would not be able to answer precisely. He looked around for a way to escape her and saw his bow on the ground a few meters behind Cheshire and from her position he guessed she would slash to the right first. He prayed as hard as he could to be right as his battle instincts kicked in at the last moment and he propelled himself to the left. The red archer deflected Cheshire's blades with his knife before throwing it at the assassin, creating an opening to get out of the disadvantageous position he was in. He spun around and using one of the techniques Olliver had taught him, caught Cheshire by the arm jumped. He used her as a support and propelled himself over her, evading her blades by a millimeter and landing near his bow. Before she could fully turn around he had notched another arrow, he shot it just as she faced him again and it hit her right in the mask.

The Asian villain was propelled backwards and fell hard on her back, her mask crumbling to pieces as her head hit the ground. Speedy waited a moment to see if she would get up again but as she didn't move he cautiously approached her and leant over, taking of the remainings of the mask. He stopped dead in his tracks as it revealed her face. _Wow…_ Was all that passed through his mind as he took in her thin features and how good looking she was compared to what he had imagined, she seemed really peaceful. Speedy reached to her neck to check her pulse, it was weak but it was there. _Good,_ he thought, _she's still alive…_ He had never enjoyed killing, even though Olliver had told him it was necessary sometimes, and had always preferred to put the villains in jail instead of putting them out. And strangely he didn't think that he could kill her even if he had had to, she was mysterious and it intrigued him. He was about to move his hand to her face and caress her cheek when he realized what he was doing. Damn it! Shake out of it Roy! He cursed himself, shaking his head. That's when he noticed her eyes were open again, he tried to jerk back but a smile slowly appeared on her face, on that seemed truly genuine. He hesitated for a second.

The Titan known as Red Arrow realized he had been tricked too late as she kicked him in the stomach and slashed her blades at him, cutting him deeply in a cross on the chest. He took a few steps back before he fell on his knees and his vision started to blur.

"I've rarely had so much fun!" Cheshire exclaimed, her sweet smile still on her face but her voice now cold as ice. "I would've enjoyed to stay and play a bit longer with you hot stuff, but too bad you broke my mask. I can't let anyone see my face and get off with it… That's really too bad, you could've made a great play toy." She sighed as she picked the remaining pieces of her mask. "Well at least your death won't be too painful, I dipped these blades in poison. Your vision should already be blurry by now, soon you will lose all your senses and after that, well you know what'll happen…" She walked up to him and took his face in her hands, still smiling at him.

Speedy tried to move, to swing a fist at her but he found himself unable to move.

"Ah yes!" She added, seeing him struggling. "You also won't be able to move… Though you'll be able to feel this…" She said before she brought his face close to her and kissed him passionately. _What?!_ He yelled in his mind. If he had been in full possession of his body Speedy would have either jerked back so far he would've fallen off the roof or he would've kissed her back, but right now all he could think about was her deep brown eyes boring into his before everything went dark. He felt her give him a slight push on the chest as their lips parted and he fell on the ground, unable to see or move.

He heard her footsteps going away and before she disappeared in the stairs she turned back to him.

"Maybe I'll see you in the next life hot stuff, that would be interesting…" She teased one last time before disappearing, leaving theTitan laying on the cold and hard stone, his glazed eyes staring at the starry sky.

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Oh! Almost forgot! As for the title, let me explain : The Cat And The Mouse, Cheshire and Speedy. Get it? :D No? Aw... :S :P

Okay, so Cheshire is the cat and Speedy is the mouse, get it now? No, still not? Aw... Come on, think harder! T_T

Okay, last clue : Cheshire/Cat, think about Alice and as for Speedy/Mouse think about a very fast moving Mexican cartoon character! :P

Finally got it? Well that was hard! x) (Yes I know, that was a very bad pun but i thought it would be funny, and I dare think none of you guessed right! Mwahahahaha! x) )

So, back to writing and don't worry BBRae fans, BBRae coming up right next! :D


	26. Chapter 23 - The Spell's Red Glow

And here is chapter 23 as promised! (man, my hands hurt! T_T)

Okay, not much more to ways so just enjoy! :)

Thanks for the reviews by the way! I forgot that earlier... :S

**TheImaginativeFox - **So as i think you saw, it wasn't Kitty and BB, though it could've been, but my idea for the pun in the title was a bit more weird than that, it less evident to understand... I'm sorry for such lame jokes though... x)

**JasonVUK -** Thanks, it's really nice to know I'm not doing such a bad job in writing this fic... :) (And I WILL finish it, it will be my first finished project ever! :D)

(I know these may not be the best chapters I've written so far but I still hope you are pleased with what I have done! :)

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"Slade!" Exclaimed Beast Boy as he walked into the room, anger and hate evident in his voice. The tall villain simply stood up and walked to the other side of the altar.

"Welcome to your end Titan." He said in his deep and raspy voice.

"What did you do to her?!" Exclaimed Beast Boy looking at the villain but keeping his attention on his dark friend from the corner of his eyes.

"Ah, that you would like to know my dear Beast Boy…" Mocked Slade. "Unfortunately I have no intention of revealing my intentions to you…" Beast Boy glanced at the cloaked girl and took a closer look at the strange carvings that were glowing red and lighting up the dark room. They were the same that had appeared on her when Slade had tried to use her to wake Trigon up, but it couldn't be the demon again, they had defeated him… A lump formed in the changelings throat as he took in the fact that maybe it was Trigon, after all he couldn't really die. What if he was back? That thought sent freezing shivers down the Titan's spine and he shook himself out of it, he couldn't be scared now, she needed his help and he had to be strong.

"I hadn't expected you to be the one to come to me, I must admit." Started the villain. "But do you really think you can do anything against me?" He asked. "Didn't you understand that you all are no match for me earlier?"

Beast Boy shivered as he recalled the events that had played before his eyes a few hours before when he had followed Raven into the woods. Neither of them had expected to be ambushed by the leader of the enemy forces but Slade had been waiting for them with Malchior and Cheshire.

"Well look at what we have here!" Had mocked the one eyed mastermind as the two titans had appeared before them. Beast Boy had cursed, he had known something was wrong as soon as Malchior had taken off towards the woods but Raven would never have listened to him so he had simply followed her to try and keep her safe. That had not gone well…

The dragon had attacked the empath managing to land a hit during the brief moment of hesitation that had paralyzed her as he told her he still loved her. Then everything had gone too fast, Cheshire had attacked Beast Boy while Slade attacked the empath with the dragon. She had been taken down easily by the two villains and she was bleeding quite heavily from the place here Malchior had hit her with his claws. The dragon laughed at the witch's limp body as he put her on his back. Slade was about to disappear with him when Beast Boy had transformed. He had never wanted to use the Beast again but seeing the girl he had loved for so long get hurt always had that effect on him.

"Raven!" He had shouted as he had noticed her limp body lying on the ground.

He got angry, very angry, and heard a voice roaring in his face before almost blacking out. From then on he everything had been flashes. He remembered roaring, a deep voice uttering the same words over again and again. "I'll kill you, I'll kill you all!". He recalled jerking the green assassin aside and attacking Slade. He remembered slashing and biting like the mad animal he was, trying t kill the villain and to take down the dragon. He remembered the dark laugh of the monster of a man that had taken him on. Unfortunately his rage had not been enough and when he had regained consciousness he had found himself embedded in a huge rock with no trace of the villains…

He had managed to extricate himself and drag his sore body back to the battlefield. he had fallen on his knees and had cried, unable to contain his sorrow and his despair. She was gone, they had taken her, it was all over… These words kept playing over and over in his head, drowning the protests of the deep voice inside his head. It wasn't until Cyborg had shaken him out of it that he had realized that all hope wasn't lost.

Many people had underestimated him along the years, thinking him to be the team's pet or a bird brain but he had continuously managed to impress those people and overcome the challenges that they set in his path. His efforts and his abilities weren't always recognized for what they were really worth, that not being improved by the fact that he couldn't help but goof around all the time, but he was contempt with always being the underdog. One day would come where he would show everyone what he was truly worth. He had always thought that his chance would come to him, but after the Malchior incident and the Beast's appearance he had realized that he had to deal with the obstacles if he wanted to become the hero he knew he could be.

He had worked, trained, over and over again to contain the creature inside him, seeking help from the person that could understand him the most in spite of the appearances. Raven. They had always been there for each other when they needed it and right now he had to save her or he would never be able to forgive himself. That was his chance, his moment to shine and to do something extraordinary.

As soon as he had walked in the large room Beast Boy had taken in the layout, a neat trick he had learned in his years at the Doom Patrol, and had immediately spotted all the places he could use to pull the fight in his favor. The room was quite large, with a large altar in the center and rocks disposed all over the place. The ceiling was about four meters high and there was only on other exit else than the door he had come in through. It was only lit by the glowing red carvings in the stone. The changeling looked directly at Slade and kept his gaze on the villain. All his senses were on maximum alert and every muscle in his body tensed and untensed as he slowly moved around the stone altar over which was floating Raven.

"I'm not scared of you Slade. And I'm not as weak as you think!" replied the changeling, looking his foe straight in the eye. Slade stopped and stood right in front of him, on the other side of the altar, his head straight and his lone eye boring in Beast Boy's mind. He scoffed before retorting in a mocking voice.

"Well, I'll take great pleasure in taking you down once more!" This time the villain stepped on the altar and jumped over it, landing right besides Beast Boy. the young Titan didn't move and simply stared at the villain. They stood there, face to face, their bodies barely a meter apart, looking in each other's eyes (or eye). Time seemed to slow down, as if an eternity was passing by, and they kept looking at each other. That seemed to have lasted hours to Beast Boy until the villain finally threw a punch at the changeling.

The green teen had been tensing up since the moment he had walked into the room and even though his muscles were starting to become sore from the stress, when Slade attacked first he was ready and he jumped back. He quickly changed into a cheetah and leaped at the villain, evading another punch and passing beside him before turning into a Sasquatch and, in turn, throwing a heavy punch at his opponent. He sent the masked man flying throughout the room and bumping heavily in the opposite wall. But that wasn't merely enough to take down the masked assassin and he almost immediately stood back up and ran at Beast Boy. As he was about to transform again the changeling felt a heavy punch hit him in the chest and was sent flying into the wall too. Fortunately he managed to absorb the shock and turned into jaguar before jumping at Slade again and slashing at him. The villain evaded the attack easily and threw a punch of his own, only missing the Titan by a hair as he had turned in a hawk and flow just out of reach.

Beast Boy turned into a gorilla and picked up a stone as soon as he had touched the ground again and threw it at Slade who simply punched through it, breaking it into pieces, as if it was sand. He then morphed into a kangaroo and jumped over the villain, turning into a snake and slithering through his grip before he could catch him only to become a whale a crashing over him, all this in an instant. He turned back to his human form when he felt the villain stir under his gigantic belly and jumped back near the altar. Slade slowly stood back up.

"Not bad changeling, but still not enough!" He exclaimed as he took out a sword.

"I'm not done Slade!" Yelled Beast Boy as he started morphing into the Beast. The deep voice echoed once more in his mind and he was about to jump at the villain when Slade stopped and sheathed his sword again.

"Well, it seems our time has run out my dear Titan." He said in a deep and calm voice. "As I said earlier, by coming here you walked towards your end…" Beast Boy, still in the Beast's form, was about to ask what he meant when he turned around and noticed the now intense red glow coming out of the runes.

"The spell is finally ready. This is goodbye then…" Added Slade with a light chuckle.

"What do you mean-?" Beast Boy started as he saw Raven's body start glowing bright red too and drowning the whole room in bright red light. Then he felt everything go dark.


	27. Chapter 24 - The Titans Assemble

Chapter 24 up! :D

Okay, i'll make this short. I wanted to write a chapter about BB and Raven and Slade but I realized this story is getting near the end (about three more chapters I think) and I still don't know exactly how I'm going to write it so I decided to switch the two chapters. This one should have been number 25 but I put it in 24th position instead. Don't hit me! T_T

Anyways, BBRae coming next chapter I promise! And the end soon! :P

To** JasonVUK** : That's actually not so far from the truth, you'll see! ;)

I hope you enjoy and have a good time reading! :)

Ps: Oh yeah! Sorry for being a bit late! I'm going to bed now so g'night y'all! :P (so tired...)

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"Where am I?" Asked the masked Titan as he opened his eyes. His whole body was sore and his mind felt clouded but he managed to almost sit up straight before a strong arm forced him to lie back down. Before he had time to react and jerk himself free he heard a familiar voice.

"Yo Rob, don't move so fast! You're not in a well enough state to move."

"He's right, you have to rest before you move…" Said another voice, a woman this time.

"Cy? Bumblebee?" He asked as his eyes adjusted to the light in the room and he focused on the two people that were leaning over him. The cyborg smiled at him before replying.

"Yep, that's me, good ol' Cyborg!" He exclaimed, pointing proudly at his chest with his thumb before getting hit on the back of the head by Bumblebee's hand. "Hey! What was that for Bee?!" He groaned as he looked at the leader of Titans East.

"Stop letting your head grow and do something productive instead, like treating his wounds!" She exclaimed, annoyed, though a small smile played on her lips.

"Okay, okay…" He groaned again before continuing to bandage the boy wonder.

"You've been out for some time." Started to explain Bumblebee as she saw the inquisitive look on the other leader's face. "We found you passed out, well actually Starfire found you passed out, in a huge hall on the fifth floor. We had to treat your wounds and to see if you were alright so Kid Flash brought you here." Robin turned his head towards the speedster and saw him lying on the floor a few meters away, he looked pretty beat up and tired. "He wasn't in so good shape either, got poisoned by Cheshire, but we managed to help him before it was too late, he's been sleeping since he got you here."

"What happened to Starfire?" Asked the head of the Teen Titans. "And where is Slade?" He added almost immediately.

"Damn! You don't lose the north do you?!" Scoffed the winged teenager before taking a more serious face. "Starfire is apparently fighting against Malchior right now and as for Slade he disappeared before she and Beast Boy got up to the hall. Apparently you said something about him taking Raven so Beast Boy ran after him." At that moment everything clicked back into place in Robin's mind, he remembered Slade beating him and Raven to get information on their plan and seeing him taking her away before Starfire got to him and he lost consciousness. Slade had seemed very confident at that time, he and Malchior had been working on something and they needed Raven to make their plan work. Did it have something to do with Trigon again? He thought as it sent a shiver down his spine. No, they had defeated the demon, it had to be something else. But Malchior and Slade working together wouldn't mean anything good… And if Starfire and Beast Boy had each gone after one of the two villains they were in grave danger. he didn't know what Slade was planning but it was dangerous and almost ready. He had to get back up there to help them!

"I have to get up there." He said, trying to get up again, before Cyborg pushed him down once more on the ground.

"No, you're in no state to fight Robin." He replied calmly, but the boy wonder wouldn't hear any of it.

"They're in danger Cyborg!" He exclaimed, trying again, this time more forcefully. But Cyborg held on and kept him pinned down on the ground.

"No Robin! You can't right now! I have to treat your wounds!" He looked the boy wonder in the eyes, or at least in the mask covering his eyes. "Besides" He started, almost shouting as his leader was still struggling against his grip. "They are Titans, they know how to defend themselves! You have to rest Robin, they'll be fine!" But Robin knew that when Slade was involved no one could be fine with absolute certainty and he wasn't about to abandon his comrades when they needed him. Especially her, he couldn't stand to lose her and if ever something were to happen he would never be able to forgive himself.

"NO!" He thrashed. "I we don't have time for that Cyborg, let me go! That's an order!" He yelled as he glared menacingly at his friend. Cyborg looked at him for a few seconds and finally sighed.

"Okay, if there's no other way…" Robin felt his grip loosen and almost managed to jerk himself free. Almost. Cyborg knew that he would not listen to him or Bumblebee if they told him what had happened, and he also knew that he would demand to know what had happened. So he had tried to patch the boy wonder as well as he could but it still wasn't enough and he needed some more time, just a bit longer.

The moment he had loosened his grip and had felt Robin begin to move to get free he had taken out a syringe from his arm and had shot him with anesthetic. He felt the boy wonder go limp in his arms after a few seconds of surprised struggle and laid him down on the floor once more.

"What are you doing?" Asked Bumblebee as he started patching the young man again.

"He won't listen to us Bee…" Sighed the black teenager. "When he's like this nothing we say can change his mind, the only way to help him is to help him do what he wants. I'm patching him up as best as I can and then we're going up to kick Slade's ass." He added, his voice emotionless and determined.

"But-" Started to argue the eastern Titan. She stopped as soon as she saw the look on the half machine half human titan's face, she had seen that face before and it meant that his decision was not to be contested. "Very well." She sighed. "But do your best…"

"Always!" Exclaimed Cyborg with a smile as he continued treating his friend.

When Robin woke up again he felt his head much clearer and his body much lighter. Cyborg was still looking at him from above.

"What did you do to me?" He asked, his voice cold. Cyborg locked eyes with him and stood up, offering a hand to his leader.

"I doused you." Robin was about to yell at him that he was crazy and that there was no time for that but he interrupted him. "I know! But if you want to go back up there I had to at least do as much as I could! You've only been out for five minutes, I've bandaged you up as best as I could and I've injected you with adrenaline. It won't last forever but you should feel good enough to fight for an hour or so. Let's hope it'll be enough…" Robin looked at him and after a few seconds took his hand and stood up.

"Thanks." Was all he replied but Cyborg knew that he understood why he had done it and that he was focusing on more important things. "Is Wally okay?" He then asked.

"Can't I just sleep a bit more? It was so comfortable…" Answered the speedster on cue as he opened his eyes.

"No, if you're feeling better we'll need your help too!" Stated the leader of the Teen Titans who was now in full leader mode.

"Okay…" Moaned the red head as he slowly stood up. "Let's go then!" He exclaimed. Bumblebee looked at Robin with a concerned face but he nodded, informing her he was feeling fine and that there wouldn't be anymore objections to his fighting.

"Yes." She replied. "Let's go."

As they ran through the corridors towards the flights of stairs that would take them to the fifth floor Robin spoke again.

"How did you get into the tower anyways? I thought Slade would guard the gates well…"

"Well Starfire and Beast Boy had already opened a passage when we arrived, apparently Slade's allies didn't do too well against the Beast and he princess together. Plus we had unexpected help from a pink haired villain as we were about to get in. She got rid of a wave of Slade bots that were attacking us as she was walking out of the tower." Replied Cyborg as they suddenly took a sharp right.

"What? You mean the Beast didn't attack Starfire?" Exclaimed Robin, almost stopping in his tracks. "And Jinx helped you guys out?!" He didn't know what was the strangest, the prospect of Beast Boy suddenly managing to gain some control over the untamable creature that lay dormant inside him or one of their oldest and vicious enemies suddenly offering a hand.

"Well it's not exactly that she helped us." Said Bumblebee. "More like she threatened us to attack us if we didn't come up to you guys."

"Apparently Beast Boy did manage to get some control over the Beast, or at least it hasn't been attacking us up to now…" Added Cyborg.

"And didn't you say something about coming with Mas and Menos earlier?" Questioned the boy wonder once again.

"Oh yeah!" Replied Bumblebee. "We sent them to scout the hall earlier, they should be back soon." Robin said nothing but simply nodded as they finally reached the first flight of stairs towards the fifth floor. As they ran, none of them noticed the mysterious smile spreading on Kid Flash's face at the mention of a certain pink haired witch.


	28. Chapter 25 - The Dark Bird Falls

Aaaaaaand guess what? :D

Yup, chapter 25 is heeereee! :P

Yes, I'm truly sorry for posting this a day late but a lot has been going on in my head about this story as I as thinking about how I would end it... I really hesitated on some important points and finally made my choice but too late to publish it yesterday so please forgive me for the delay and please enjoy! :)

Oh, just thought I'd let you know, only three more chapters before the end, it's official! The countdown had begun! :P

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Beast Boy felt like he had been thrown into a pit of darkness when he woke up. Everything was black around him, there were no light nor any sound. It was so thick that it felt as if he could feel the darkness. He slowly stood up and looked around, hoping to pick up a sign of light or a sound that would betray the presence of someone else but there was nothing. He move around a bit but as he couldn't see anything he didn't dare to go far, fearing that there might be an unknown danger around. He tried to remember how he had gotten here but after seeing Raven's body glow bright red there was nothing, literally. He couldn't remember falling unconscious, sleeping or waking up, it was as if one second he had been blinded by the red light and the next he was lying face down on the ground in a place where there was no light. Raven! He thought suddenly, remembering why he had ran after her.

"Raven?" He called out tentatively, not sure if it would help him to call out to her at all. Where could he be? He had never been anywhere that dark, where even his animal senses couldn't pick up any light or sound, and he had to admit it scared him a bit. Idiot! He suddenly scolded himself. Of course, if there was no light his eyes wouldn't pick up any thing, he had to find another way to see! Best Boy decided the best course of action in this situation would be a bat, he could use his ultrasounds and extra powerful hearing to sense where he was. He thought about the small mammal as he willed his body to transform but when he opened his eyes again nothing had changed, he still felt completely normal, the usual itch that came with every transformation wasn't there and he could feel his normal body instead. _What the…_ He thought as he tried again without much more result.

"Okay, don't panick! I'm a bit stressed that's all…" He muttered to himself. "Better try something else…" He tried to morph into a snake to use the hightened sense of smell but it didn't produce any more satisfying result than for the bat. Then he tried a dog, a cat, a fish and a bird, any animal that passed through his mind but nothing worked. _What's going on? Why can't I transform?!_ He was really starting to panick now, he had always been able to transform instinctively without having to produce much effort but this time, no matter how hard he tried, it didn't work.

"Raaaah!" He exclaimed, exasperated as he tried to transform once more. He fell to his knees and punched the hard and cold ground below him as he let his legs give in.

"Why won't it work?!" He shouted to no one in particular. As he did so he noticed a faint light in the corner of his eye. he turned his head to the right but there was nothing, only darkness as he gazed into the black curtain that had been draped around reality. But as he was about to turn his face to his hurting fists he noticed a small white dot appear where he ahd thought seeing light. The dot slowly grew biger and brighter, it seemed to also get closer but Beast BOy guessed it was because it was extremely small to begin with. After what seemed like an eternity, he couldn't have known how long had passed as the darkness offered no reference whatsoever, the dot became a glowing sphere. It was hovering over a spot in the darkness about twenty meters away. Beast Boy looked under the sphere where he could now see the ground and noticed a shape lying on the ground.

It seemed human and was clad in blue and wasn't moving. He instantly got up and ran towards the shape, recognizing the colour immediately, and not caring about potential dangers lurking around int the serrounding darkness. As he got closer he could see her lying motionlessly on the cold har ground, her hair was sprawled on it as she faced the opposite direction. His heart almost stopped beating as he stopped at her level and noticed the pool of blood that had spread around her body.

"Raven!" He shouted, kneeling down besides the pale witch. He turned her so that she was lying on her back and instantly noticed the deep gash on her torso, her leotard was torn and the cut went all the way from her left shoulder, ripping part of her cape, down to her right hip. The bleeding seemed to have stopped but as Beast Boy cupped her face he noticed she was even paler than usual.

"Raven!" He shouted again, shaking her shoulder. "Rae! Are you okay? Can you hear me?!" But the dark girl lay there motionless, not reacting to his panicked cries. He called her name again and shook her shoulders but she still did not react.

Beast Boy felt as if his heart was about to stop and crumble into pieces. No, it's not possible! Not her! No! He thought as he put his hand on her neck to check her pulse. He noticed her skin was cold. Nothing. He couldn't hear her heartbeats. He put his hand on her chest this time to directly feel her heart but where there should have been a regular thumping there was silence. In any other situation his reaction to what he just did would have ranged from a deep blush to helpless cries of mercy as she tried to kill him for doing it, but at that moment he didn't care. He let his hand slip to the ground and he stayed there, kneeling beside her, not able to do anything else but stare at her.

The green changeling felt as if the world had stopped. How could this be real? How could she be gone? How could she be gone? Beast Boy had always been scared that his friends might be gravely injured or even die during missions, that's why he always tried to give his best to protects them. Despite that they still had come very close to not seeing the next morning on several occasions but he had never imagined that they could die. That she could die. It seemed like a dream, or rather a nightmare, to the Teen Titan, it couldn't be true, he would wake up soon. Not her… But as he looked at her again it was. She was lying there, limp and motionless, her chest wasn't rising at a regular rhythm anymore. Her eyes weren't rolling at the sky while her brows were furrowed as she sighed to his jokes anymore, they were closed. Beast Boy felt a heavy lump stuck in his throat and tears form in his eyes as realization took over. She was gone. She would never scold him anymore, never get annoyed by his jokes, never smile at her book when she thought no one was looking at her, never be there for him to secretly admire. Tears started rolling on his cheeks as he sobbed lightly. She would never know... That was probably what hurt him the most, what crushed his heart, he had never managed to work up the courage to tell her, always overwhelmed by her presence when he entered the room. She would never know how much she meant to them, how much she meant to him...

"Raven..." He whispered as he cradled her in his arms, her head against his chest. "Please Raven... you can't go like that, I could never stand it if you left me alone... Who would beat me up for my lame jokes? You have to come back... Please Rae..." He kept whispering in her ears. "You have to come back, you're so important to us, to the group. To me. Please Raven, come back, I beg you, don't leave me like that... I-" His voice broke as he was about to say what he had been thinking all those years, what he had wanted to say so often, what he had not said not because he feared her but because he feared she would never accept his feelings. Damn it! Not even able to say it when she's... gone...What a fine hero you make Beast Boy! He thought bitterly. He looked at her again, her face seemed peaceful, as if she was only sleeping. Maybe she is... He thought, grabbing on to any spark of hope that he could find. But he knew she wasn't, he would have known, he would've felt her chest rise and heard her heart beat. No, she was gone. Gone forever. He wiped another tear from his cheek before hugging her tightly again. No, he had to tell her. He suddenly found all those times where he had been scared to say the words out loud, how unimportant it seemed to keep his feelings to himself just because he was scared of being hurt. I should've done it a long time ago, he thought, not for me but for her... Beast Boy could feel the loneliness she was trying to hide, the fear of being abandonned by her friends, he knew those feelings as he felt them too.

"I'm sorry Raven..." He whispered again. "I... I'm sorry for not being here for you, I'm sorry to not have been strong enough to protect you... You are one of my precious friend and I lost you without being able to do a thing..." The green teenager swallowed with great difficulty. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you earlier, I should have, a long time ago... But I was scared, I was terrified that you would leave me, that you would hate me... If you want to know the truth Rae, all those times you found me annoying, all those time I wouldn't stop nagging you so that you would come with us... All this I did because of a simple and stupid reason... I enjoy spending time with you, you may not think of yourself as a people person and you may like your time alone but... I can't leave you alone, I want to be by your side, everyday. You could never imagine how happy it made me feel when you smiled to me for the first time... I wanted to see that smile again no matter what, that's why I always trie to tell you jokes... Just to see your beautiful smile and to see you happy... I'm sorry for not telling you this earlier Rae, I'm an idiot, a dumb kid. I don't want you to leave me alone, I can't live without you Rave... I love you..." He had held her tight as he had talked and only loosened his grip to put a shy but loving kiss on her cold forehead. "I've always loved you Rae, and I always will..." He added as he slowly put her back on the ground, his words slowly fading into the nothingness.

That's when he heard the low growl and the heavy footsteps. Slowly standing up, Beast Boy turned around. The slow footsteps got closer and he prepared himself to fight with a battle stance before they stopped.

"Who's there?" He asked to the darkness before him before hearing a dark a low growl-like laugh reply to his question.

"You know who..." Said a familiar voice, it wasn't human and sounded like an echo of the earlier growl. Beast Boy's eyes widened as he saw a form come into the light, it was huge, even bigger than he remembered, its thick fur gleaming lightly and its sharp white fangs appearing behind a wicked smile.

"How-?" Was all Beast Boy got the time to ask before the Beast leaped at him, its claws and fangs only waiting to tear his flesh apart.


	29. Chapter 26 - The Instincts Of The Beast

Chapter number 26 has arrived!

A big Thank you for the reviews (especially to **JasonVUK** and **TheImaginativeFox**) and to all the readers! :D

The countdown to the end has begun, only two more chapters!

Anyways, enjoy people and if you feel like it, take some time to review, it really means a lot to me! ;)

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The green changeling barely escaped the attack in time by jumping to the side, the Beast had still managed to dig its claws deep in his shoulder. He winced as he looked at the bleeding wound on his shoulder and looked at the Beast with a mix of astonishment and anger.

"How is that possible?" He exclaimed. "How can you be here?!" The werewolf laughed, though it came out as more of a growl, and lunged et him again without answering. This time though the teenager was waiting for it and managed to evade the claws before landing a punch into his opponent's torso, sending it back a few meters. He tried to morph into a jaguar but it didn't work and he found himself having to evade another attack.

"Stop!" He yelled at the ferocious beats before him as he rolled backwards, away from the large claws. "Who are you?!" Best Boy couldn't believe what was happening, he was fighting against an exact replica of himself when he was transformed, but what surprised him even more was that it chuckled replied to him.

"Ha ha ha! And why should I stop Garfield?" Asked the Beast with a wicked smiled, showing off its fangs. "I'm having fun here!" It lunged at the teenager again but he managed to escape once more.

"Why are you trying to kill me?!" Shouted Beast Boy. He didn't understand how it was possible that the Beast was standing before him at that moment nor why it tried to kill him. "I don't understand… Didn't you say you'd help me?!" The Beast laughed again and slowly started to circle around the teenager, sniffing the air around and growling menacingly, before answering.

"That's you problem boy, there are a lot of things you don't understand… I'm getting tired of your helplessness so I'm going to kill you a free myself!" It growled louder and feigned an attack but kept circling around the teenager.

"What do you mean 'free yourself'? An what don't I understand?" Asked the green Titan, never letting his opponent out of his sight. "You told me trust my instincts, to trust you!"

"True… I did say all that. But knowing and understanding are not the same things Garfield. You may know what your powers are but you don't understand them yet and I'm getting tired of it! If you truly understood she wouldn't be there right now!" The Beast jumped and this time Beast Boy did not have time to react as he was momentarily distracted by it mentioning Raven. He found himself pinned down on the ground, not able to do anything. He tried to jerk away from the steel grip, he thrashed and kicked but the Beast held him tightly.

"You are but an insect to me and I could crush you whenever I want! I have waited long enough for you to realize and awaken your potential but you refused to listen, you tried to shut me down, so now _I'm_ shutting you down!" The werewolf's fangs were almost touching the green changeling's face and he could feel its hot breath against his skin. "But first I want to have some fun with you first, just like I had with her…" Beast Boy's eyes widened again as he took in what he just heard. He gritted his teeth and asked in a low voice, a menacing tone he never thought he could have heard coming out of his mouth.

"You did that to Raven?" His eyes were locked with the Beast's and his fists balled up.

"I promised you back then, don't you remember?" The Beast's smiled became larger, if that was possible, revealing even more of the menacing fangs. "That I would have some fun with her one day…Oh…" He adds his head shifting to the side, betraying his curiosity, as he watches Beast Boy tense up and his face become expressionless. "That's new… Even I didn't think you were capable of it in such intensity… It seems we are going to have some fun after all…"

The Beast jumps stood up and slowly turned towards the creature without uttering a word. But he didn't need to, the Beast was part of him after all and it knew what he was thinking and feeling.

"Good, let your anger flow through your body, let your rage boil inside your heart!" Roars the werewolf before starting to circle the green changeling once more. It snarled and growled but did not attack, knowing the Titan would be the first one to make a move, it simply waited for him to attack. The air was extremely tense, one could almost have felt the ambient electricity running between the two enemies. "Come Beast Boy, come avenge her… Finally!" It roars while jumping back as Beast Boy lunges at him, his fangs seeming longer than usual and a vicious snarl on the face.

"I will kill you!" Yells the teenager as his body starts to morph. His limbs become longer and his costume tears apart, revealing a darks green fur under it. The teenager can feel and unknown force tearing his muscles and his limbs apart, making them longer, enlarging his face to transform it into a long snout and growing claws on his hands and feet now turned into paws. He howls and after a few seconds of intense pain he stands there, panting and the exact copy of the werewolf staring at him. "I will take you down…" His deep voice echoes in the thick darkness.

"Come!" Roars the Beast as it jumps at its clone, slashing in mid air. Beast Boy evades the hit and lands a punch in its torso, this time sending it flying a dozen meters back. Then he roars and gets on all for before running at his opponent, barreling into the large dark form.

Beast Boy bites the Beast on the neck, earning a howl of pain and a slash of it's claws in the same shoulder as earlier. He is pushed back a little by the hit but runs back to the Beast and unleashes a fury of clawing and biting upon the other werewolf before jumping over it and slashing it in the back. Unfortunately the Beast saw it coming and turned around just in time to catch Beast Boy's transformed arm and sending him flying to the ground. Before the Teen Titan could do anything it jumped at him and pinned him down to the ground with a double kick in the back, the werewolf sunk its claws deep in the teenagers back. But that didn't stop him from thrashing and throwing attacks in all directions to get free, the green changeling managed to claw deep cuts on the leg and face of the Beast before it could pin him down.

The Beast grabbed his right arm as he was about to slash once more, pining the left one with one leg and stepping on his back with the other. It leaned down to his ear and growled.

"That's better already, but unfortunately boy, it's not enough!" Exclaimed the Beast as it pulled in its doppelganger's arm, a cry of pain escaping from the morphed teenager. "You will have to do better than that to get me! You have to let your rage take over and only then will you be able to understand… But I fear it's to late for you, you will-" The Beast doesn't have time to finish it's sentence as Beast Boy suddenly flips over, dislocating his arm in the process but managing to get free.

The teenager jumped back to his feet and lunged at the surprised creature, slashing its neck with his left arm and replying with a deafening and animalistic roar.

"Now that's what I call anger!" Laughs the Beast before lunging at the hurt teenager. "But it's still not enough!" As it finished its sentence it evaded another slash coming to his face and, putting all its weight on its front paws, started to rotate, hitting the teenager with a heavy kick. "You still don't understand… Rage is an extremely powerful drive, but it's also extremely dangerous, what I represent is that but it's also so much more!" The Beast was about to jump at Beast Boy once more when it noticed him getting back up and shrinking back to his normal appearance, he was panting heavily and blood was gushing out of the wound on his shoulder. As the green teen raised his head the Beast immediately knew something was different, his eyes were not clouded anymore, not by rage or pain, they were sharp and seemed to be looking right past the werewolf.

"Oh, it seem I may have underestimated you…" It simply said before Beast Boy silently reinserted his arm in its socket and closed his eyes, falling to his knees. "Or I may have talked too fast…" Snickered the werewolf as it watched the Titan's body shake heavily as he seemed to struggle to get back up but to no avail.

As Beast Boy took the kick full force he was thrown back almost fifteen meters and fell in his back. He grunted in pain and slowly got back up while the Beast was talking. His blood was boiling and all he wanted to do was to kill that damn beast and be done with it, but something kept nagging him deep in the back of his mind. Something like an itch, disturbing him in his thoughts but that he couldn't quite grasp.

"Rage is an extremely powerful drive, but it's also extremely dangerous, what I represent is that but it's also so much more!" He heard the werewolf say. The words echoed in his mind. It's also so much more! The rage that fueled his drive was clouding his mind and he couldn't make sense of the sentence though he somehow felt it meant something important. He took in a deep breath and tried to calm down. _Rage is dangerous._ True, rage was an overwhelming emotion when it came to fighting but it made people make reckless decisions. Rage was part of his instincts, it's what pushed him to fight when his friends were injured, when his life was threatened but it was uncontrollable. _So much more…_ What did the Beast mean by that, what more could there be to his power? _You know but you don't understand!_ That's when it clicked in his head. He always listened to his instincts, never able to turn them off and he used them to fight. But had he ever truly understood them? To him his animal part was something that he was ashamed of. He never had told anybody but being green and having pointy ears wasn't something he was always a fan of. He always had been thankful to his heightened senses and to his ability to think quickly in a fight, but had he ever really trusted them? _No_, the answer came rapidly.

Beast Boy had always tried to keep them at bay, to keep the animal part of himself hidden deep inside him out of fear. Fear that he would lose control, fear that he would be rejected and abandoned by the others. Fear that _she_ would hate him. _We have the possibility to be the best of both worlds, that is what I want… _He remembered the night where he and the dark witch had talked on the roof after the whole Trigon episode. Raven had told him she had always tried to suppress her emotions to control the demon part of her but thanks to him and the others she could choose to use her powers for something else than destruction. If he wanted to truly use his powers he had to accept everything that he was. _Know yourself before you know your enemy._ That saying made so much sense at that precise moment.

The green teenager looked inside him. What was he? He was human, but he was also animal. He had acquired to power to transform into animals, but was that all there was to it. He concentrated, digging deeper in his mind. What was his real power? _You can be anything you want._ That's when he really understood what the Beast had meant by saying that. He really could be anything. That thought overwhelmed him for a moment and he felt hit chase the rage away from his body. He wasn't enraged anymore, he was angry at the Beast but he felt strangely calm and knew exactly what he had to do. _The best of both worlds_, he thought before looking up to his opponent. They stood there, eyes locked for what seemed an eternity to the teenager before he fell to his knees. He closed his eyes and concentrated, he took a deep breath and tried to picture as exactly as he could what he wanted. Then, as he felt ready, his body started to shake, a little to begin with and then more heavily. He was overcome with spasm but he didn't lose his concentration. Then he felt the familiar itch that came with each transformation take over his body, it spread and increased to the point of becoming an ache. He groaned as it went from being very uncomfortable to painful, but it continued to spread and grow, soon turning into a searing pain. He howled loudly as it became so intense he thought he wouldn't be able to take it but his howl became deeper and ever so slowly turned into a low growl.

His body once again deformed itself, his limbs becoming thicker, his waist larger and his neck a lot longer. he felt his back explode as his bones rearranged themselves and as skin and muscles hurried to cover them up. He felt his head being compressed then expanded, stretched in every way possible and compressed again. His teeth became longer and sharper than even the Beast he grew to five times its size. He felt his insides become hot to the point where he wondered if he was on fire or not, and then it slowly faded away, leaving him panting once again.

When he opened his eyes he saw the Beast's surprised face and noticed it had taken a few steps back. It regained its composure and stretched its mouth into a bitter smile, exposing the sharp white swords that he used as fangs.

"Well it seems you have some potential after all…" The voice of the werewolf echoed as it took once more a battle stance. Then it roared as it lunged at the huge dark green dragon that had appeared before its eyes a few seconds earlier.


	30. Chapter 27 - The Dragon's Roar (Rawr!:P)

Aaaaaand here is chapter number 27! :D

Finally! :P

Yes, i know I havn't been uploading this week end but, I don't know if I had already told you guys earlier, I don't really have to motivation nor the possibility to write this story a lot during the week ends... Though I did work on it a bit this time!

I wanted to write longer chapters for the last two and I managed to do almost 3000 words for this one (yay! :D) so it took me a bit more time than usual... :S

Anyways, the last chapter will be coming soon (maybe not tomorrow though as I want to to something quite long again, maybe longer than this one, who knows... :P) and will be concluding this amazing fiction! :D (no no, my head is absolutely not swelling... x) )

Thank you for the reviews once more! :D

**shugokage** : Thank you, I really tried to make it depressing! x)

**JasonVUK** : Thanks! :D Uhm, not exctly, though dragon yes! :D (I have other plans for Slade x) )

**Blueeyez01 :** Thank you for the review and all I'll say is that no, he was fighting the Beast, not Adonis. (Sorry, if its a bit confusing, I try not to make it really evident but sometimes I really make it hard to understand, that I'm aware of and I'm sorry for it... I want to keep a lot of the plot in the dark but I end up not explaining half of what I should... :S)

Anyways, I really hope you enjoy reading this chapter and chapter 28, a.k.a. the last chapter, should be out soon! ;)

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From then on the battle had been fierce but short and soon enough Beast Boy was lying on the ground panting, his body aching from the energy he had used to transform. The Beast was standing over him and looking at the green teen with a mocking smile.

"It seems I was wrong… You do have it in you…" The deep growly voice faded away, echoing into the surrounding darkness as the Beast disintegrated into a cloud of golden dust. Beast Boy laughed weakly, couching as it made his broken ribs hurt like hell, and closed his eyes as he tried to calm his racing heart.

"I am you and you are me." He said. "You knew all along…" The mysterious words followed those of the Beast as he lay there, for once enjoying the coolness of the floor under him.

As soon as the Beast had lunged at him Beast Boy had tried to take off but he still wasn't used to his new transformation yet and he had trouble keeping it stable. They both collided in mid air and despite his more imposing stature the changeling was sent flying back by the force of the werewolf's attack. He had managed to dampen the impact by flapping his huge wings but the still uncomfortable reptilian body prevented him to react like he had wanted to and he had to land on his side. The dragon got back up almost immediately, glaring at the Beast as it jumped at him once more. This time Beast Boy managed to stop the attack by throwing forward his two massive front paws and double punching the Beast in the thorax, the Beast raised its arms to protect itself but was sent flying backwards ten meters away. Beast Boy flapped his wings once more, testing them and getting used to the fact that they were an extension of his back and not of his arms like for his bird transformations. As he did so he watched the Beast intently as it got up once more, growling before it galloped back towards the green changeling. The dragon finally took flight as the Beast was halfway through and slowly rose up in the air.

Once it was close enough the werewolf bent its legs, tensing its muscles, before propelling itself in the air towards the winged creature. Beast Boy heard the Beast roar as it jumped and he roared back, preparing to strike but following the loud sound came an intense wave of fire, drowning the werewolf completely and throwing him off balance, back to the ground. The dragon stayed unmoving for a few seconds, his wings barely maintaining him flying, as he contemplated what he had just done. He hadn't even wanted to do it and had just roared in anger at his opponent, the fire had come out instinctively. He saw the Beast land on the ground and kneel on the ground, both trying to suppress the pain of the burn and to regain its balance. It jumped again and this time Beast Boy let his huge body fall, they met mid air but as the green dragon was about to claw through the body of the wolf-like creature it evaded his move and landed on the his back.

The Beast clawed the dragon's back and bit his neck making the teenager roar in pain. Beast Boy stabilized himself before doing a back flip, effectively throwing the werewolf off balance before grabbing it by the leg and throwing it towards the ground. The Beast was already trying to land on its feet but the changeling wasn't about to let it regain its balance once more and he plunged, following its opponent, and roared once more drowning it in flames. Before the fire cleared the dragon had flown through it and caught up with the Beast, it clawed its back and as the ground came closer punched it in the back, sending the werewolf barreling in the cold and hard ground. Beast Boy then retracted his wings and plunged onto the Beast, landing his large clawed fist in its thorax, the impact sent a shock wave through the ground and several cracks formed around the now unmoving body.

The green teenager struggled to get back straight up as he morphed back into himself. He looked down at the Beast, it wasn't breathing and he allowed himself to let out the breath he had unconsciously been holding on to and took a step back. As he did he felt his legs grow weak and fell down on his back, hitting the floor with a hard thump._I can't move… _He thought as he tried to get back up. His vision was blurry and the sounds around him were confused. His head kept spinning for what seemed like hours and when it finally cleared and he could focus again he saw a dark shadow hovering over him. The white eyes of the Beast were focused on him as it looked down from where it was standing. _How…?_Began thinking Beast Boy, wondering how it could still get back up after such an attack. But he didn't have time to finish following his trail of thoughts as the Beast spoke.

"It seems I was wrong… You do have it in you…" The changeling tried to ask it what it meant by that or to come up with a witty retort but nothing came out and he simply narrowed his eyes, unable to do anything else. Was it the end? He though that the werewolf was going to finish him right there but as its voice faded away the huge body started to glow faintly and disintegrated into millions of golden particles._Like sand_, thought the teenager as he watched the shining miniature stars fall all around him. Beast Boy closed his eyes, trying to calm his racing heart and to recover a bit. He felt his body getting lighter and his muscles less sore with each breath. _You understand now_, said a voice coming from nowhere, _a last gift…_Beast Boy wondered for a moment if the Beast had not disappeared and he had hallucinated but as he opened his eyes again nobody was there and he realized the voice had spoken in his head. It was the Beast's he was sure of it but it seemed far away and weaker than usual.

Beast Boy felt his mind clear up and found that the coolness of the stone under him had a soothing effect. He wondered what was happening to him, was this all a dream? Was he dead? No, that wasn't it. It seemed so real and yet so strange… Where was he? What was going on? But non of his questions found any immediate answer and so drifted off to other subjects, the first one popping into his mind being _her_. He had been so intent on defeating the Beast that he hadn't thought once about Raven as they were exchanging blows. He turned his head towards where her body had been, not feeling ready to move yet, and a lone tear rolled down his cheek as he remembered. He let silence and darkness overwhelm him and did not try to resist when he felt himself fading away, his eyes slowly closing shut.

"I must admit you are more resilient than what I had foreseen..." Said a deep and cold voice, echoing all around in the darkness almost as soon as Beast Boy closed his eyes. They shot back open as he heard footsteps come towards him, he quickly sat up and turned around, trying to guess where the footsteps were coming from. His head was spinning a little but he spotted them on his left and stood up, turning in that direction before taking a battle stance. The sound of the footsteps slowed as they got nearer and stopped once the figure had appeared from the shadows.

Beast Boy narrowed his eyes, tensing up. He had recognized the voice as soon as soon as he had heard it but he couldn't understand what he was doing here until Slade appeared from the shadows, his lone eye fixed on the green teenager.

"Slade!" Exclaimed the changeling with a menacing snarl as he slowly got back up to his feet. The villain smirked under his mask.

"I always knew the Best was dangerous but I'd never have bet on you getting it under control boy... I was wrong apparently." The masked assassin started to slowly circle around Beast Boy, his eye looking straight ahead though Beast Boy knew his full concentration was on him. "I think it is time I finally put an end to this masquerade..." He taunted as he stopped behind the changeling and drew a sword from his back and taking an offensive stance. Beast Boy silently took in a deep breath but did not move, he didn't need to, he could feel the villain behind as clearly as if he was looking directly at him.

Strangely his acute senses seemed more pronounced now. He thought back to the Beasts last words before it had disappeared. _You understand now, a last gift..._Indeed he did understand now, he had always known how to take advantage of his super senses since he had been gifted, or cursed depending on the point of view, with his powers. But now he realized how immature he had been. He was not supposed to take advantage of them, nor to let them take advantage of him for that was when the Beast came out. No, he had to make the best of two worlds, let the information his super senses sent to his brain flow without losing control.

At that precise moment he felt tired, his body was still heavy from the fight though it wasn't sore anymore, but his mind was clear and he could literally feel the world around him. His hearing overlapped with his vision and sense of smell to create a detailed picture of the environment around him. His skin felt the light changes in the air currents and he could taste the metallic taste of the tension all around. All these combined with his brain's power of analysis created some sort of a sixth sense, allowing him to predict what was going to happen a few seconds before it did. He heard a soft thud behind him and instantly knew the villain was moving, he was going to swing his sword at his neck. The changeling ducked and rolled to the side as Slade moved in for the kill, evading the sword before turning around to look at his opponent as he was thinking of the transformations that could come in handy through the fight. Beast Boy rarely tried to do that, he preferred to go with the flow of the fight an improvise when it was required, but this time he knew he wouldn't have a chance if he didn't plan a minimum.

He was too exhausted to fight in his usual style. _This might be the time to try new things..._He had thought before the masked villain had attacked. After barely a second of thinking he came up with a few dozen transformations that could help him but he knew that he wouldn't have time to transform fast enough to do what he needed. He was about to morph into a panther to jump at Slade when a thought suddenly came up in his mind. An image of him just after the fight against Adonis. _Of course!_He cursed. Why hadn't he thought of that earlier! He could be anything. His power wasn't simply changing into any animal he wanted, he could transform into any living being, whether it existed or not as long as it was viable.

He focused on his legs and felt the familiar itch grow as the changed shape slightly, gaining more muscle and elongating themselves a bit. Slade jumped at him again but Beast Boy was faster and he dodged the hit easily, using the new found power in his legs to propel himself forward and to hit Slade on the side as he evaded the sword. As soon as he landed he focused on his arms and torso, willing them to buff up and to take on some of the characteristics of the bear and the gorilla. They both grew in size though not changing as much as when he fully transformed and himself was standing a few centimeters taller than usual.

The changeling found it drained him quite fast, both physically and mentally, to keep the transformations up and he knew that in his current state he wouldn't be able to keep up very long against Slade. He had to finish this fast. He readied himself before jumping at the villain who got ready, his sword at head level. They then exchanged a series of heavy blows, Slade trying to cut through Beast Boy and Beast Boy evading the attacks or parrying them by making scales appear on his arms. The exchange was extremely fast and only his animal powers helped the changeling to keep up with the speed of the assassin. He wondered how Robin did to fight a monster like that, Slade was just a human but he had managed to push his physical abilities to a higher level than any other. Sweat started appearing on the green teen's brows as he felt himself slow down and tire. Slade was slowly taking the upper hand, he had to react now!

Beast Boy jumped back a few meters and, without leaving Slade any room to breathe, he fully transformed into the Beast, knowing it was the only way he could concentrate enough energy into a single blow. He tensed his muscles and leaped at the villain. Unfortunately, despite his great speed and strength, Slade managed to evade his attack at the last moment and with a twist of his body to hit the changeling in the side sending him tumbling backwards. The Teen Titan got back up quickly only to be assaulted by the sword once more. A number of cuts appeared on his body during these next few seconds as he was trying to escape from the deadly weapon but Slade was pushing him back and putting him exactly where he wanted to. His physical abilities were one amazing feat but it wasn't solely thanks to the power of his muscles that he had managed to become one of, if not the, deadliest assassin in the world. He was a genius tactician and had gathered a gigantic database of experience throughout the years. Right now the villain was using all his tricks to push back the Beast and to make it make a mistake.

A smile appeared under the mask as Beast Boy noticed they had come closer to the dark girl's body, his instinctively deviated their trajectory, thus falling into the villain's trap. As soon as he shifted his weight to the side Slade lunged at him and, turning around in a swift motion, knocked the air out of the Beast's lungs and, using his velocity, punched it in the head with the back of his hand. Beast Boy was sent flying through the darkness, landing a few meters away in his normal form. He was lying on the ground panting and unable to move as Slade slowly approached.

The villain stopped just over the green teenager's body, pressing his sword to his victim's throat, a victorious smile hidden under his mask.

"Well, it seems lie the games are over boy..." He taunted, applying enough force on the tip of the sword to make the changeling start to bleed. "I'd promise to do this painlessly... But I'm afraid I'll enjoy this too much..." He let out a quick laugh before kneeling down to the panting teenager.

"Any last words... Beast Boy?" Slade's mocking tone betrayed how much fun he was having in killing. The green teen looked him dead in the eye, steeling his face and not replying. _Is this it?_He thought, hoping his face wasn't betraying his distress, he didn't want Slade to have that pleasure on top of killing him. _I'll see you soon... _Beast Boy thought, the thin pale features of the one regret he would ever have popping into his mind.

"Very well then..." Added the villain, tensing the muscles in his right arm as he was about to make the finishing blow. He raised his arm and then everything happened in slow motion. The thick arm stopped in mid air, the single eye boring into the Titan's soul, then it started coming back down. _Goodbye..._The thought echoed in Beast Boy's mind as he could feel the steel coming for his life. Then a small breeze caressed his skin and he saw a huge dark hand heavily knock the villain to the side.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The three words echoed in the darkness as Slade's body was sent flying. Three simple words that did not mean much on their own, but together they were a world of their own, a universe of emotions and power. What made Beast Boy's heart leap though was the voice that spoke these words. It wasn't a soft voice nor was it betraying any emotion, though to the green changeling it seemed like it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard in his life. It was raspy and monotonous, it would've seemed bored and apathetic to any other but Beast Boy could hear, or feel, it wasn't very clear to him, the faint traces of emotions that filled these words. The world seemed to stop along with his heart as he slowly turned his head to the side, towards the place from where the words had been brought to life.


	31. Chapter 28 - The Rage Of Living

Aaaand finally, after almost one week without any upload, here is the **last** chapter of this amazing fanfiction! :D

Extra long chapter if I may say, more than 9000 words just for you! ;)

I won't say much now, I'll let you read first and add my comments at the end, I really hope you enjoy this one, good reading folks! :)

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"Rae…" He whispered as the dark girl entered his field of vision. He still wasn't sure if what he was seeing was true. How could she be standing there when earlier he had seen her cold and inanimate body...? Was he dreaming? Or was he finally dead? The image of the dark Titan slowly walked to him and knelt down beside him. She locked eyes with the changeling before pinching his arm hard.

"Ouch!" He exclaimed. "What was that for?!" He groaned as he rubbed his sore arm.

"To prove you you're not dreaming you nitwit." A ghost of a smile was playfully dancing on her lips. "And it's Raven to you if you don't want me to do it again…" She threatened the green teen, her brows furrowing as she had trouble keeping her neutral face in front of the terrified expression the changeling was displaying.

"You're…" He started, having great difficulty not to stutter. "You're alive! But how…?" He exclaimed as he sat up with difficulty, her arm holding him in place.

"Yes, I'm still alive Beast Boy, it's a long story and we don't have time for that." She replied, fearing he was going to bombard her with questions. Instead of speaking the changeling opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, his brain processing the sight before his eyes, then he suddenly grabbed her into a tight hug. Her eyes opened wide as he did so but before she could say anything against it she felt a wave of relief and happiness emanate from the green teen. It surprised her and she didn't say anything until he let her go, backing away slowly.

"Sorry…" He smiled sheepishly, his cheeks colored pink as he let her go.

"Don't worry, it's good to see you to Beast Boy." She replied with a neutral tone and expression though she could feel her cheeks heat up a bit. "But how-?" He started again, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Not now Beast Boy, we have to go help the others." Raven simply replied, effectively shutting up the injured Titan. "I'll try to heal as much as I can but I have to keep some energy to fight, don't move." The girl ordered as she placed her hands in front and behind his chest, focusing the energy towards his wounds.

Beast Boy watched silently as the pale fingers glowed with dark energy and hovered over his bleeding chest. He traced the way from the tip of her hand to the junction of her arm and her neck, then climbing up to her face and finally landing on her eyes. They seemed determined and so he said nothing as she treated his wounds, he was already starting to feel better. So instead of protesting he fixed the purple orbs, they were so captivating, almost intoxicating, and he could've stayed there simply staring for eternity if she hadn't cleared her throat. He came back to himself and saw that she had finished healing him and was now looking at him strangely, trying to get his attention.

"Sorry to disturb you day dreaming, ever so pleasant as it might have been, but I'm done. We really have to go now." She stressed the last part to make him react. Beast Boy got up quickly, evaluating the extent of his injuries. All the cuts on his body had stopped bleeding and most of them had healed, his muscles felt lighter and less sore and his broken ribs didn't hurt anymore.

"Nice job Rae!" He smiled brightly at her as he stretched.

"It's Raven, I already warned you Beast Boy, I won't do it again…" He instantly took a step back and smirked.

"You wouldn't dare hurt your friend!" He exclaimed.

Raven took a step towards him and looked him dead in the eyes.

"Oh believe me when I say I would…" She spoke almost in a whisper. The green changeling swallowed with difficulty and found it was preferable not to find a witty retort this time. "Oh, and I will if you get lost in your thoughts or start daydreaming again…" She added with a light smirk.

"Huh?" Was all he could manage.

"Your eyes were glazed and you had a stupid smile on your face as I was healing you, I don't know what you were thinking about but please find pleasure in doing that after we are all safe…" Beast Boy almost blushed but he managed to control himself, he wasn't about to tell her he had been thinking about her. Even though he had told her he loved her and how much he regretted not having been able to tell her when she was alive earlier he wasn't about to do it again now that she was apparently revived. He nodded silently, his eyes just wide enough to make Raven smirk at her words. She knew she had found a soft pot for teasing that she could use later, of course she had no idea that this soft spot was actually her.

Beast Boy looked around as they broke eye contact.

"So, where are we going? After Slade? I'm not sure he is out of it even with that punch you gave him." He said playfully.

"No." She answered simply. "If I am right, that wasn't him earlier and we have bigger problems than that…"

"What do you mean?"

"Too long to explain but let's say we are not in the citadel anymore. This place is dangerous and… wild, I can feel it. We have to get out of here as soon as possible." Explained the dark sorceress before Beast Boy's quizzical look.

"What do you mean that wasn't Slade?" He asked, trying to keep up with Raven who had started walking over to where the assassin had been sent flying earlier. "And where are we?" She turned her head towards him and was about to answer when a deep and dark laugh resonated all around them.

"Now what?" He asked, noticing his friend had frozen. "Raven?" He asked, but she didn't answer, her eyes were wide and she seemed… scared? Beast Boy had a hard time believing what he was seeing but he understood as soon as the voice spoke again. It was a voice he had only heard twice in the past but he knew it as well as his own, it was a voice that seemed older than time itself and even more evil, it was a voice he both feared and loathed. It was the voice that made her cry at night and that had made her close her heart to the world, that voice he could have recognized between a thousand. It was the voice of the demon lord Trigon, destroyer of worlds and father of the girl he was standing beside.

The lit area in which they had both been standing suddenly started expanding, the circle slowly became bigger and bigger, revealing the huge dark stone slabs that composed the floor around them. It expanded in every direction for over three hundred meters and there was no sign of an end to it, the dark floor seemed to go endlessly in every direction and everything above was white, making it impossible to know if there was something over them. Beast Boy had to close his eyes momentarily as he was blinded by the intense white light over him and when he opened them again he saw that Raven was looking around her, probably trying to evaluate how far wherever they could be went but he knew she wouldn't be able to get much more result than him. Even with his super senses he couldn't sense anything further than half a kilometer away, farther and it faded away in the white horizon, it was as if there was nothing after that, though it seemed impossible.

They looked at each other but did not utter a word, simply nodding as they silently understood that neither of them could tell what kind of place it was. Beast Boy was starting to think that the evil laughter they had heard earlier was a dream but the tension in his friend's muscles told him the opposite and the thought entered his mind they voice echoed again.

"My dear Raven and the foolish Beast Boy, what a pleasure it is to see you…" Trigon's voice was deep and evil but it also had a kind of soothing ring and seductive tone, if Beast Boy hadn't known better he would've probably let himself fall under it's influence. But he had seen the man, or rather demon, behind it and how twisted and evil he was. They had fought and defeated him when he had tried to conquer and destroy the world and yet he was back. How is that possible? How can he be back? Thought the green changeling. Once he might have been afraid and paralyzed by the tyrannical giant but that was a long time ago. This time he was calm and determined, he wasn't anything close to weak and he was with the strongest Titan after all. But still he couldn't understand how the demon lord could be there, was this voice just and illusion? As the thought entered his mind it immediately disappeared for he saw a dark red cloud form itself from a spot a dozen meters in front of them.

The same questions were playing through Raven's mind as she saw the dark red cloud appear from nothing in front of them. She had recognized her father's voice as soon as it had started echoing on the huge dark slabs of stone. Her blood had momentarily frozen and she had found herself back in the body of a little girl, afraid and alone in the dark. That was until she met his eyes, the deep green orbs looking at her with… fear? No, something else, a strange mix of worry and affection, he was silently checking if she was okay. This simple gesture sufficed to reassure her and she found herself untense and focus on what she had heard. Could it be…? The voice spoke before the cloud then appeared out of thin air and she knew. It was his voice. The voice of her… father, that they had defeated. How could he have come back? Was he the one behind all this? No. The word echoed in her mind as two voices spoke it from somewhere deep in her mind. You know it's not that… She recalled the suspicions she had had earlier, the few words exchanged between Slade and Malchior and it all clicked in her head. Damn it! The situation is much worse than I imagined… She cursed inwardly. But if what she thought was true then they could only hope that the others succeeded, or else… No, she preferred not to think about that eventuality…

"Raven…" Whispered Beast Boy from her right side. "How can he be back? Didn't we defeat him?"

"I don't know…" She whispered back after a short silence. The cloud was now forming a huge red body shape, it grew until it reached almost thirty meters in height and slowly solidified. After a few seconds Trigon was standing from all his height before them, his four eyes closed but an evil smirk displayed on his face. He opened his eyes and interrupted the dark girl as she was about to reply to Beast Boy.

"My return seems to surprise you, it shouldn't dear daughter. Evil cannot be defeated, it always finds a way…" The giant demon's voice boomed throughout the huge white space as he opened his eyes to look down on them. The two titans tensed and took battle stances but did not reply, simply glaring at him. "And you don't seem happy to see me…" He laughed as Raven frowned. "No worries, it's a reciprocated feeling… Now, enough chit chat, I have worlds to destroy!" He added before snapping his gigantic fingers and shrinking to a reasonable three meters.

"And you, dear daughter, will be my first step into this world!" He laughed as he extended his arms and Raven found herself trapped on the same rock that she had shackled Rage, her arms and legs extended in an X and stuck to the wall. Raven's surprised and anxiety must have been reflected on her face because she saw Beast Boy's eye grow wide as he turn towards her as he suddenly noticed the rock that had appeared out of nowhere. He then slowly turned back to the demon and growled.

"Let's see if you can do as well as last time…" Trigon smiled evilly as a blood red sword appeared in his hand and he stared to walk towards her.

"Don't touch her!" The changeling exclaimed before turning into a tiger and lunging towards Trigon. Raven tried to shout but her voice wouldn't obey her and she felt her body freeze as she saw her father turn towards the lunging tiger. everything happened in slow motion.

The red giant simply shifted to his side and brought the sword up as Beast Boy was almost on him, the Titan didn't have time to react, he tried to turn into another animal to evade the blow but t was too late. She saw the blade sink deep into his body, his eyes go wide and his mouth open though no sound came out of it. He turned back into his human form and his arms went limp. A cry suddenly filled the immense space as she saw his eyes glaze and his head fall to the side, it took her a second to understand it was her who was screaming. Her heart stopped and her throat went dry but the scream remained.

Trigon lowered his sword, letting the small body fall on the ground as a pool of blood formed around him, and turned back to his daughter. Raven saw him slowly walk towards her from the corner of her eyes, her vision was blurry as what she knew were tears started flowing down her cheeks.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Tears are for the weak Raven." Trigon said. "You have my blood in you but you have none of my power… what a pitiful daughter you make…" His steps were getting closer, Raven took her eyes of the limp body of her friend and focused on the demon.

Trigon saw his 'daughter' look up at him with a determined look. How pitiful, he had once thought that she would be the key to his rise, that she would reign over a world of chaos, but that bloody woman had made sure to compromise his plans byt sending her to Earth. Oh how he had cursed Arella and all the Azarathian for delaying his plans. Then he had found her again, living amongst these humans, as if she were one of them. Helping them even! He had made his move, used her and offered her unlimited power and destruction but she had refused, preferring those scum over him. They had made her weak, or so he had thought until she had pulled off that trick, a last gift from her mother. It had taken him by surprise and he had lost, but now he was back stronger than ever and she was still just a weak child. He wouldn't make the same mistake and underestimate her though, she had to die. He raised his sword and smiled wickedly at the girl's tears. He was about to strike when he saw her head jerk back and her eyes glaze and turn red as another pair opened just above the first.

"Hello father…" She spoke in a raspy voice.

"Oh, what a surprise, shouldn't you be chained on that same rock inside Nervermore?" He replied to Rage with a smirk.

"That fool let me roam free after defeating you…" The red eyed witch smiled evilly. "Thought she could control me without you around…"

"And that was a wild assumption I presume…" Nodded the demon playfully. Oh he was starting to enjoy this.

"Indeed father, I cannot be controlled nor tamed but the little bitch didn't even listen…"

"Well, she is going to regret it deeply… I was thinking about killing you but I have a much better idea now…" Smiled Trigon as he lifted his daughter's head with a finger. "You were always my favorite one, you know that?" Rage slowly nodded, her mad smile getting larger. "Do you have control?" She nodded again. "Then how about having a little fun together? Some family time…" Rage locked eyes with him for a few seconds, her smile still there, then she looked towards Beast Boy.

"And" She started speaking. "I always liked you father, the little punk doesn't understand how good it feels to kill and destroy." The demon simply looked at Rage, waiting for her to finish. She turned towards her shackled maintaining her to the huge rock before continuing.

"She never understood me, never accepted me… Always trying to keep me locked away even if deep down she knew she needed me... But…" The red eyed girl looked back up to the demon. "He did." She said as she pointed to the unmoving green changeling. "Despite knowing what I am he tried his best to help us and... unfortunately… I have to agree with her on one point. I quite like the idiot." Rage said simply, never letting her eyes weaver under her father's. Trigon snarled.

"Heh, you cocky little insect, you think you can take me on?" He asked raising his sword to her chest.

"We have once before, I don't see why we couldn't do it again…" Replied Rage, her smile getting wider as she saw Trigon's betray his anger. He moved his arm back a little, ready to strike and as he was about to drive the red sword through the impertinent girl's chest she roared and for dark arms shot out of nowhere and blocked the hit.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She shouted, effectively destroying the shackles and the stone, before throwing a wave of dark energy at him. Trigon evaded the blow but the little time it took him to do so allowed Rage to put some distance between them.

"You dare defy me, girl?!" Roared the demon as she landed a dozen meters back. Raven's whole body was suddenly encased in dark energy and as soon as it came it was gone. When it cleared the demon could see her cape was still the same purple color, it hadn't turned white like last time. He was about to laugh when he noticed the strange glow around her body, her usually dark energy had not disappeared but it had changed color. Or colors to be ore precise. The usually black flames were now a mix of many colors, dancing all over her body and changing almost as soon as they had appeared. It seemed to be made of sea of paint where black, purple and yellow mixed with red, white and blue. Several spots of green the appeared, replaced by blue almost immediately as orange left it's place to purple. The red eyes had disappeared and had been replaced by the Titan's normal violet ones.

"I do. No, we do…" She simply replied before jumping at him, a huge tendril of the multicolor energy expanding into a huge fist ready to strike. Trigon evaded and cut through the giant arm but almost immediately another replaced the first, opening into a claw and slashed at him. The demon evaded the strike with difficulty and jumped back. His wicked smile returned as he stood tall once more, dispelling his sword.

"I love hopeless challenges…" He announced as his body grew back to its original size and he laughed.

Raven… Raven! RAVEN! The voice calling her was gradually becoming louder to the point where she couldn't ignore it anymore. Trigon was pointing his sword at her chest and she couldn't move free from the shackles. She groaned inwardly and focused her thoughts on the inside of her mind.

What?! She asked once she found herself in Nevermore. Rage appeared to her side, her four eyes glowing menacingly.

Nice to see you too, now let me take over, I'm going to tear him down!

No- Started to protest the dark girl to her red doppelganger but she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder, Rage took advantage of that moment of uncertainty to take control of her body, disappearing from her view.

Wait! Come back! She yelled but the hand on her shoulder was still there and she heard her voice from behind.

Raven. She turned around only to be faced with seven other versions of her. The blue one was the one speaking. Let her take over for a moment, she's trying to help, trust me.

Wisdom? Simply replied the witch as she took in the six other doppelgangers with a curious look.

We're her to help you Raerae! Exclaimed Happy with a huge smile.

Great, spoil the surprise! Nice one dimwit! Replied the one clad in orange towards the pink version of herself.

Oh shut it Rude! It's not like we have time for things like this! Said the one clad in green. We have some ass to kick!

Yes, but we should not rush. We have to explain to her first! Said the yellow emoticlone.

Y- yes, let's not rush. Added another Raven, hiding behind the yellow one.

Oh come on… The green one replied, throwing her arm in the air in frustration. She's stealing all the action, no fair! She exclaimed as she pointed towards the sky.

Wait! Hold on a minute! What's going on here! Exclaimed Raven. She already had an idea of why her emotions had asked for her but she wanted to get a clear explanation either way.

Well to defeat Trigon you'll need our help. Simply stated Knowledge.

And we're going to unite our powers to kick his ass! Exclaimed Brave.

That much I had already guessed, but last time we didn't have to talk about it, we simply synchronized our powers. So, why am I here?

Well… Started Knowledge before hesitating. Uhm, actually I'll let her explain as she pointed to Wisdom.

The replica clad in blue looked at Raven before answering her quizzical look.

Well we had you come here because the situation is a bit different from last time… Raven raised an eyebrow and Wisdom continued. You see, last time your emotions, meaning us and all the others, synchronized and merged together to create a state of perfect balance. We managed that because Trigon had denied us most of Rage's power as he had reincarnated from it. But this time it's different.

You mean we can't because of Rage? Asked Raven. She is breaking the balance?

Uhm, yes and no. Actually she is not really helping but the balance could be created even with her, it would simply take some meditating but we don't have time for that. No the problem is that your emotions are unstable right now, you are overflowing with some and that disrupts the equilibrium.

What do you mean, with 'some'? Asked Raven, not liking where this was going.

Well… But Wisdom was interrupted by another of the emoticlone that had stayed silent until now.

Ahem, I think they mean me… Raven turned towards the sound of the voice and noticed the emoticlone who had talked siting on a rock nearby, she was clad in violet. Raven immediatly knew which of her emotions she was and her heart skipped a beat.

Oh… Was all she could say before Wisdom spoke again.

Yes, you understand now. You can't control every emotion Raven, but not all of them need to be controlled… The dark witch looked at her violet emoticlone once more, noticing a light blush on her cheeks under her hood, before turning back to Wisdom.

So what do you propose then? She asked.

Well, since you can't reach a perfect balance between your emotions Knowledge and I were thinking that maybe you should let them roam free. Instead of keeping them perfectly balanced and in check let them flow out of you…Explained the blue emotion.

Flow out of me? How? Wondered Raven.

Just focus on Rage and let us lead the way to start, it's something you have to experience, it cannot be explained… Answered the blue emotion with a mysterious smile. The emoticlone clad in violet stood up and joined the six others as they formed a circle around Raven. They all closed their eyes following Wisdoms request.

Now, imagine the moments of your life where you felt the strongest emotions. Good or bad, don't worry, we are here with you to control the flow. Remember your happiest moments, your saddest, the ones you felt angry or just like lying around all day… Raven thought about Wisdom had said for a moment, trying to remember the times where she had felt her emotions get the better of her. Images started flowing before her eyes as she remembered the fear and pain she had felt when she was very young, the anger and rage take over when she started losing control. The love of her mother, the friendship the Titans had offered her. She could feel all that course through her body, warming it gently. The slight tingly feeling she felt before in her stomach when she crossed Robin's stare, all those time she was annoyed by the green teen, the times he had made her do nothing, all the times he had tried to make her laugh and had secretly managed to amuse her. The times he had come to her rescue and had been there for her when she was feeling so down. As she remembered all those memories the warmth became more intense and her whole body was filled with it.

If she had opened her eyes at that moment she would have seen the smile that was displayed on each of her emoticlones' faces and she would have noticed how the ones on the pink and especially the purple's ones were bigger than any other. She felt good and somehow like she could manage anything.

Okay, here goes nothing then… She muttered as she let the flow of energy that she had gathered flow freely and her eyes shot open once more.

"Azarath, Metrion…" Raven focused her powers on one of the huge slabs and managed to dislodge it and, levitating it, she put enough force in it to send it flying towards Trigon. "Zinthos!" She exclaimed as she released the multicolored power and the stone barreled towards the gigantic demon. Even with his huge height the direct hit threw Trigon off balance and he had to take a step back so as not to fall back.

"Heh…" He smirked, getting his footing back. "I like a little challenge…" He swatted another huge slab that Raven had thrown at him before levitating the two projectiles and sending them back towards her, adding a huge torrent of flames for the theatrics. He saw Raven evade the slabs by jumping to the side and threw his huge arm forward into a heavy punch, forcing her to retreat once more. She sent him another wave of energy but it didn't do much damage and immediately after he created a huge ball of fire in his hand and threw it at her. Raven evaded once more, teleporting away, but Trigon had felt the trick coming and was already preparing a huge blast of burning red energy in his hand. It would've roasted her on the spot if it hadn't been diverted at the last moment by a sharp pain in his arm.

The demon looked down and saw a huge green dragon biting at his arm and slashing wildly. He swatted it away, a blood trail following the mighty reptile as he crashed back on the ground.

"Beast Boy!" Yelled Raven as she saw him crash back on the dark stone. The dragon was trying to get up but it was too hurt to do anything more than that. He saved us! A voice echoed happily inside her head. Yes, he did… Replied the same in a slightly deeper tone, a tender feel to the words. Don't let him get killed for us… Raven looked at the panting green Titan before talking.

"Don't worry Beast Boy, I got this!" She exclaimed, her voice confident and determined, hoping he would understand and not try to kill himself by moving anymore.

"Ha ha ha! What a touching moment!" Mocked the demon, his booming laugh echoing through the emptiness. "But don't get too distracted!" Raven barely evaded the huge flaming fist that came down crashing on the dark floor, breaking into pieces several of the slabs and cracking many others.

"I won't lose!" Exclaimed Raven as she paused and closed her eyes. "I defeated my father once, the great Trigon, and I will again! I won't let you take this world!" She knew the next hit was coming soon and that she had to hurry, but if she wanted to win that was her chance to do it. She concentrated her energy and started chanting her mantra, barely whispering at first it became louder and louder, faster and faster, until she was repeating it in a loud and clear voice, filling the white emptiness. Trigon laughed again and summoned another huge ball of fire, almost his size and threw it at his daughter with a victorious yell.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Yelled Raven in return as she opened his eyes, releasing the energy she had accumulated. It spread around her and formed a huge flaming Raven shape, glowing with every color that composed it. It grew and grew up until it was covering the whole ground under her and her father. Then everything exploded and went white.

Raven blinked several times, her eyes were hurt by the brightness of her surroundings, her head was spinning and her ears were ringing. She tried to focus but the only things she could discern were the raging flames all around them, the white space above them and the weight of the green teen she was holding in her arms. She had no idea how she had cradled up to him but as she noticed she had her arms wrapped around his barely breathing form she decided she wouldn't let go. She looked around her once more, taking her surroundings in and then focused on him. His hair was completely messed up, some was burnt, his suit was torn apart, revealing part of his body she found herself almost gawking at, and his face was bruised all over. Yet it looked so peaceful as he breathed with difficulty.

"Don't worry BB…" She said. "We're going to get out of here… Don't worry… Don't worry…" She repeated the two words over and over, like a mantra, hoping it would somehow help them. After an eternity she felt her head become lighter and lighter, the brightness of the space above them was devouring everything around them and soon she could see nothing but it. Slowly her eyes started to close as fatigue took over her and she finally drifted into unconsciousness, joining the green teenager, as her body fell on the floor next to his.

He opened his eyes and was immediately greeted by darkness, only a dim orange light was getting to his eyes. At first he thought he was dead but, wherever he was, his injuries still hurt and he was pretty sure that wouldn't have been the case had he not been alive… Plus he could hear the sounds of regular beeping around him and he guessed that they didn't have that sound either in heaven nor in hell. I'm still alive… He sighed. But where am I? He looked around curiously and saw that he was on a bed and a curtain was draw on his right side, that's when he recognized the medical bay of the Titan's tower. I'm back? He thought. He tried to get up but his chest was hurting too much and he almost blacked out. Beast Boy would've sighed heavily if he had the energy to and if it hadn't caused more pain, instead he lay there, trying to calm his beating heart and to let the pain wash away. After a few minutes he slowly tried to sit up again and somehow managed without opening his wounds.

Must've been a few days if my wounds have already started healing… He thought as he extended his arm and drew the curtain. As soon as he did a small smile appeared on his lips, Raven was lying on the bed next to him, her breathing faint but regular. She's alive… To say he was relieved at that moment would have been an understatement. He laid back on his bed, turning his head towards her to take in her peaceful appearance. He noticed she was levitating slightly over the bed. So she's still healing, must've been heavy injuries… His heart dropped slightly as he imagined what she must have gone through.

Then he remembered what had happened with Slade and Trigon. What was that place and what happened after I blacked out? But he didn't have time to think about it in detail as someone stirred from behind the curtain of Raven's bed, he heard a stifled yawn and footsteps as the person stood up and walked in his direction.

He saw Starfire's bright red hair and green eyes pop out from behind the white cloth and her quizzical look turn into a huge smile as she noticed he was awake. The alien princess jumped towards him and squealed in delight.

"Oh friend Beast Boy, you are awake!" She exclaimed loudly. "This is most joyous!" Luckily for the green teenager she refrained from hugging him which, he thought, would've finished killing him on the spot.

"Yeah, I'm back Star." He replied, his throat sore and dry. The red haired girl must've noticed his discomfort as she ran towards the other end of the room and came back with a glass of water.

"Here friend Beast Boy, drink this, it will help the soaring of the throat." He smiled and nodded before drinking a sip of the cold water, it instantly seemed to sooth his pain and he drank up the whole glass before giving it back to Starfire.

"What happened back there?" He asked. Starfire's smile seemed to weaken a little but she answered still.

"Well, we managed to defeat Slade but with a heavy price. Robin was very injured after our fight, he was hit by a large chunk of rock when the citadel started crumbling, Raven was in a coma and you were almost dead when we found you both. We had to bring you back immediately and if it were not for Herald and Cyborg I fear you would be dead now…" Her eyes glazed a moment as she recalled the worried moments after the battle.

"And… and the others?" Asked Beast Boy, scared of the answer he would receive.

"The other Titans were injured too but most of them have already recovered enough to go back to their tower. Kid Flash was the first one to leave though I don't know why, he said he had business that was not finished. Cyborg had to rebuild one of his legs but he is fine. Mas was hurt quite badly but he will be okay, though Menos is worried sick. Once Slade was defeated we cleared all the villains out of the building and locked them up, though some managed to slip away before the battle was over. Then Cyborg and Red Star had to destroy what remained of the citadel. But…" Her voice almost broke at that point and Beast Boy could see tears forming in her eyes. "But after it was done we noticed Speedy was… missing." Beast Boy understood he preferred not to say dead. "The whole thing blew up and we've been searching the debris but we haven't found him since…" She broke into tears and the green teen closed his eyes, a lump forming into his throat. They had somehow managed to win the battle against the villain but it didn't feel like a victory at all, he looked at Starfire and then at Raven. Why did people have to do such things? What could motivate such hunger for destruction? A loud cough came from the other end of the room followed by a groan, Starfire's eyes shot open and her head whipped towards the sound.

"Robin…" She whispered before standing up and hurrying in the direction of the boy wonder's bed. As Beast Boy was trying to sit up again the doors of the med bay opened and Cyborg and Bumblebee came in.

"Yo BB! Wait up!" Exclaimed the half robot teenager as he rushed to his green friend. "You can't get up yet, you're not well enough!" Beast Boy smiled at him before shaking his head.

"No, I feel fine Cy, I want to get up." Cyborg looked at him for a moment, his eyes studying him carefully, and he smiled in return, nodding.

"Okay, but don't overexert yourself and lean on me." He replied.

"Oh my, what a gentleman!" Mocked Bumblebee from behind. "Nice to see you back with us BB!" She smiled. He scoffed at her remark.

"Yeah, nice to see you to Bumblebee." He turned to Cyborg again. "Can we go towards Robin? Looks like he woke up." They slowly walked towards their leader's bed and Beast Boy stole a glance of the peaceful look on the light skinned witch, still relieved that she was fine.

"Man, you cannot know how worried we were when we found you two, we thought you were dead back there…" Said Cyborg as they arrived in front of Robin's bed and pulled the curtain.

"Me, dead? Nah, I wouldn't let something so small as death stop me!" Exclaimed Beast Boy with a grin.

"Hey guys…" A weak voice greeted them. They looked towards the bed and noticed Robin had his eyes opened, Starfire was smiling brightly and was unconsciously holding his hand.

"Hey Rob!" Greeted Beast Boy and Cyborg at the same time. "Good to see you alive!" Added the taller of the two.

"Hi Robin, glad to see you well." Said Bumblebee as she went to stand near Starfire.

"Are you feeling better Robin?" Asked Starfire. He simply nodded, raising a tired eyebrow at the grins the other three displayed when Starfire squealed and clapped her hands claiming it was glorious, but they said nothing and he let curiosity get the better of him.

"What happened after we beat Slade?" He asked. Cyborg answered after a short silence.

"Well you were only half conscious after that when Starfire walked out with you, Raven and Beast Boy. We gathered the villains that remained and destroyed the whole building. Then we made sure they were locked up and came back here to treat the ones who were gravely wounded." He started, summarizing what Starfire had told Beast Boy earlier. "You were badly beaten up and almost died from the whole building collapsing so we decided to get out as fast as possible. Everyone seems to healing quite well, some of the Titans already went back to their cities seeing that they were okay and Beast Boy here just woke up a few minutes ago. The villains were quick to surrender or to escape once the word that Slade had been defeated was spread. There were some heavy injuries on our side but everyone should be fine. Though…" He hesitated a moment and Beast Boy knew what he was going to say. "Though we can't find any trace of Speedy anywhere…" He finally stated, his voice lower than before.

Robin did not answer but sadness could be seen on his face even though his mask, which had not been taken off, covered his expressions quite well. Only Starfire felt his body tense up slightly as he held her hand with more force than before, she returned the grip but said nothing.

"Oh…" Was all he said. "Did you…?" He started but Cyborg shook his head almost immediately, knowing what he wanted to ask.

"No, we haven't found his body though we are still searching, but it's very unlike him to not show up after so long."

"How long have I been out?" The boy wonder then asked.

"You woke up once yesterday, though you probably don't remember, but it's been three days since we came back here now." Replied Cyborg. Robin nodded and turned to Beast Boy.

"I don't know what happened to you guys after Slade took Raven with him but when I got to him you weren't anywhere around. He was simply standing there, staring at a strange altar with glowing red markings on it." They all turned to the green changeling and he thought for a moment before answering.

"Honestly guys I have no clue." He quickly continued before they could interrupt him. "I don't mean I don't remember, it's just that it was all so strange, I feel like it was almost a dream… I could describe it to you but I think it's better to wait for Raven to wake up to confirm that because I might just have been delirious…"

"But-" Started Cyborg before Robin interrupted him.

"We'll talk about this later guys, right now we're all still tired and I think we should rest." They all nodded and Beast Boy shot him a grateful look, he didn't want to have to remember what had happened just yet. And from the look Robin gave him, his eyes seemed tired and he seemed older, he knew their leader needed some time too. Before turning away he caught a glimpse of a smile on the boy wonder's face as Starfire took his hand in both of hers. He didn't know what had happened to them both out there but it seemed to have opened the boy wonder's eyes. "I'm glad you're all alright." He added before closing his eyes again.

Beast Boy, Bumblebee and Cyborg left the two other titans and walked back towards the green teenager's bed, as they got farther to it they heard the sounds of soft chatter between the two and smiled at Starfire's muffled giggle.

Beast Boy lay back on his bed, groaning at the spike of pain in his chest.

"Has Raven woken up yet?" He asked as he turned towards her.

"No, not yet. Though she was in a regenerative state up until last night. Why, you worried about her?" Teased Cyborg.

"A bit." Replied Beast Boy to his friend's surprise. He then turned his stare back to the ceiling and sighed. "I think I'm going to sleep some more, I'm so tired…" He added. Cyborg scoffed and poked lightly in the arm.

"Tch, sloth!" He exclaimed.

"Tin can." Replied Beast Boy, feeling his eyes getting heavier already.

"I'll come back later green bean." Said Cyborg before turning around and walking towards the exit with a wave. "See ya!"

"Yeah." Replied Beast Boy with a smile. Bumblebee walked to him and put a hand on his shoulder before following the half robot.

"Don't worry, she's strong, she'll be fine…" She said. The she turned around and walked to the door with a fast pace. "See ya BB. Hey! Wait for me Sparky!" She exclaimed as the door was already closing behind the cyborg. Beast Boy smiled before drifting off to another world. Yeah, she is strong… I'm glad you're okay Rae...

When Beast Boy woke up the next day, feeling refreshed and much less sore, the first thing he noticed was the faint light seeping through the shut curtains. Then he heard a familiar humming accompanying a mantra he knew all too well. He turned his head to the side and noticed Raven, levitation in a cross-legged position near Robin's bed. He smiled at the image of the dark girl but felt a pang in his heart as he understood she was healing him. Despite the fact that he knew the leader was far worse off than him he couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of the boy wonder. No, I don't have the right to be, I waited for her to almost die before I gathered enough courage... He sighed before getting up slowly. He walked over to the witch and put a cover around her shoulders.

"It's goo to have you back…" He whispered before quietly leaving the room.

As he walked into the main room he slowly and carefully stretched his limbs and found the pain only remained around his chest. He stood back straight and walked towards the fridge and started making some tofu, his stomach had been grumbling since he had opened his eyes. It was barely seven in the morning and the towered was strangely silent. Most of the others were either sleeping, resting in the different rooms of the med bay or already gone home. He cooked scrambled tofu eggs and sat down at the table, eating silently and savoring the taste.

As he let his thoughts run free he found himself thinking about a specific Teen Titan. Since he had told her unmoving corpse what he felt and had found out she was alive he didn't know how to act. Should he talk to her about it or act like it never had happened? Oh how he wanted to talk to Raven, to tell how much she meant to him but now that he wasn't faced with imminent death anymore he felt himself turn back into the cowards he had always been. He heard the swish of the doors as they opened and looked up to see the object of his thoughts walk in the room. For a second he was almost ready to get up, walk to her and tell her everything, almost. He didn't, because he was scared, he had always been scared. She looked at him and for a moment he thought she knew what he was thinking but she let a small smile creep on her lips and greeted him.

"Hello Beast Boy. Glad to see you're okay."

"Hey Rae!" He replied with a huge grin, immediately forgetting his previous determination. "How're you doing?" He asked.

"You know it's Raven, not Rae… I'm fine thanks, I feel better." She answered with a curt nod before walking towards the cupboard and taking out the ingredients for her usual tea.

"How's Robin?" Asked Beast Boy. His voice must've seemed a bit different, giving her a glimpse of his earlier pang of jealousy, because she turned around to look at him intently before replying.

"He's fine, I tried to heal some of his worst injuries earlier. He should heal a bit faster now." Beast Boy noticed the minuscule frown on her face and immediately got a grip on himself.

"Good to know!" He smiled widely before it change into a grin. "Hey, d'you know why the chicken crosses the ocean?" He then asked, feeling relieved when she turned back to her tea with a roll of her eyes.

"No Beast Boy, I do not. But I fear you are going to explain it to me…" She added with a sigh which made him smile.

The next day all the remaining Titans were sitting in the main room after Robin, who had finally gotten out of bed that morning though he had already taken back the reigns the evening before, had called for a briefing. Menos and Mas, who was still recovering in a wheelchair, had just arrived. Bumblebee was sitting next to Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven and Starfire on the couch while Robin was standing in front of a huge screen where pictures of Slade and the citadel were displayed, he was leaning on a crutch for the moment as his left leg was broken. All the other Titans had gone back to their respective towers, Kole and Aqualad being the last to leave the day before. Bumblebee had stayed to wait for Mas and Menos to get better and was ready to leave in the evening with them for Titans East.

"I know it hasn't been a week since the battle with Slade but I have some things to tell you, important things." Started Robin. "First I am glad that everyone is fine and that we managed to catch most of the villains who tried to help Slade." His voice was as cold steel as he said the name. "We managed to defeat him but to a cost. As you all know we… we haven't been able to find Speedy since the battle." Bumblebee let her head slump down and Robin's fist tensed. "We still don't know what happened to him, we haven't found his body, but chances are he is already…" He didn't finish his sentence as a lump formed in his throat. The redhead was a lot like him and that had created tension between the two of them, but he was a friend and robin couldn't forgive Slade for what he had done. "Anyways, we'll keep searching until we have found an answer. What I also wanted to talk to you about was the information that we have managed to gather on Slade's plan. I have heard most of your stories about what happened but what Raven told me this morning is extremely scary and appalling. She believes the spell Slade was trying to use was a very old and powerful spell that could have destroyed the world, perhaps even the whole universe." Everyone looked at him in disbelief but before they could ask the questions that were burning their lips he motioned towards Raven. The dark witch started explaining.

"It is only a theory but I believe what he was trying to achieve was a very old spell, as old as magic itself. That is why he had Malchior help him. It's a spell that requires tremendous amounts of preparations but if it is executed well enough it would give the caster the power to create a new universe." She explained. "He would have gained the power to erase our universe and replace it by one of his creation, where everything would've been decided by him. And I believe the reason he kidnapped me was to sacrifice my soul to activate the spell…" They all looked at each other at the news.

"Fortunately," Started Robin again. "we were able to stop him. Starfire and I managed to stop him before he could canalize the energy for the spell. But that resulted in almost blowing up the whole city, that's why we had to destroy the whole building, to contain the explosion and lessen its power."

"Yeah, we barely managed that…" Remarked Cyborg with a dark expression. "I can't believe it… He really was about to recreate the whole world?"

"The whole universe Cyborg…" Raven corrected him.

"But… if the spell wasn't active at that moment what happened to me and Raven?" Asked Beast Boy. The day before he had explained to Robin what had happened to him and had been somewhat relieved when Raven had said she had been there too and it had really happened. At least, he had thought, I really did tell her what I thought…

"As I said earlier Beast Boy" Started the witch. "I'm not sure, though I can theorize that we were trapped in the epicenter of the new universe, in the middle of its creation. What happened to us was some sort of echo of past events, they were replaying once mroe in that new universe."

"And what happened to that universe then if the spell has been stopped?" Asked Bumblebee.

"Well I believe it was destroyed once the spell ended, that's how Starfire and Robin were able to save us. Though it's only all theory." Raven answered once more. Bumblebee nodded as Robin spoke again.

"Slade was blown away when the spell started collapsing, we haven't confirmed his death but it is safe to believe that he was killed in that explosion. I hate to say that we will never be sure but that is what I sincerely hope." He said with a tight face. "I will continue to work on all this but for now that is all the information we have. I will ask the people who I didn't talk to yet to give me their point of view on what happened but at the moment we must all rest, this is why…" He paused and smiled at Bumblebee who winked. "I have accepted a proposition that Bumblebee here made yesterday. We are all invited to a small victory party at Titans East a week from now and, even though it might seem strange to you guys, I think we have earned this small rest…" He added with a smile. Beast Boy and Cyborg and their mouths gaping, Starfire jumped to her feet and squealed in delight and even Raven had a surprised expression on her face. If anything she would have thought the leader would have wanted to train more to be ready for any future danger, she had thought he would pursue Slade's case until he was sure he was dead.

Beast Boy and Cyborg yelled synchronously.

"WHAT?! REALLY?! SWEET!" They both started dancing around the couch.

"But make no mistake, after that we will resume training even harder…" The leader of the Teen Titans added. But even this bad new didn't ruin the two friends' mood.

He's changed, not much but he's different somehow, thought the dark girl as she fixed the boy wonder. I don't know what but something happened back that changed him. The she looked around, her eyes discreetly darting towards everyone as she silently observed them. A small smile played on her lips. No, she thought as she noticed the unconscious action, we all have changed, not by much but I can feel it, something is different. Not that it's bad... Indeed this wasn't a bad change, they were just a bit different. Her brain worked hard as she tried to put her finger on what that was exactly that had changed in them, then it came to her and her smile reappeared. We've all grown up a little...

* * *

So, how did you like it? :P

This is finally the end of The Beast Inside, the last chapter, it's done, finite, kaput. I've had so much fun writing this story and i'm amazed that an idea written on the corner of a sheet of paper became a story with more than 58000 words... I'm amazed at myself rigth now... :P

What I really hope is that you've had as much pleasure reading this fic as I've had writing it! truly, it was a great moment for me, even though keeping up with the rythm of a daily update was quite a challenge for me, I managed it I think... :P

Writing this has also given me many ideas for my other stories and also possibly a few one shots that I'll write sometime and post here, I have a great idea for a BBRAE one shot in particular, I'll be writing it soon I think. It'll be fun I hope! :)

Now then, I think this is goodbye for now... Or is it...? Niark niark niark!

Oh yes, you, who had the courage to read this up 'till now, guessed well, it is not the end! Oh no, there is still much to say about The Beast Inside and that's why I'll be posting an epilogue shortly that shall conclude this epic saga properly (instead of this crappy ending :P) and that will please myself (as a fan of BBRae! :D). So be on th look out for the true last update of The Beast Inside : The Epilogue! :D

Anyways, until then, see ya! ;)


	32. Chapter 29 - The Epilogue

Aaaaand here is The Epilogue! :D

And it concludes the epic saga that was The Beast Inside! :P

I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as me, it was just awesome! :D

And I also hope that you will enjoy this last chapter, I don't know if the ending is as good as I had hoped it would be (yeah, I know i say this everytime but I feel very insecure about it x) ) and I will just wish you a good reading and let you finally read the magnificient words that popped out of my genius mind... :P

See ya later guys, and a final (and huge and super duper and amazing) **THNAK YO!** (yes, thnak yo, because thank you is too mainstream... and NOT because I mispelled it and simple left it like that bacause I was to lazy to correct it... :P) to all the readers and the amazing reviewers! :D

* * *

"BB? Can I talk to you?" Cyborg had just stepped through the door leading to the roof where beast Boy had been napping for the whole afternoon. It had been eight days since they had come back to the tower and everything had almost gone back to normal, the changeling's injuries were already only scars though they were still fresh and hurt a bit. Raven had spent a whole day meditating in her room before coming out almost completely healed, she had offered him to heal his body but he had refused. He hated to feel vulnerable like that but he didn't want her to waste energy if ever she were to need it. Instead, and to Beast Boy's displeasure, she had finished healing Robin's injuries. He didn't know why but since they had come back he had difficulty to act normal around her, perhaps because he had finally confessed to her, and to himself, that he loved her when she was supposedly dead. He had not spoken of that to her and didn't know if he should have. That day he had felt strangely refreshed and melancholic and had decided to go meditate on the room, of course everyone thought he was just napping, which he sometimes unconsciously did, but he did manage to meditate.

He had found that exercise extremely useful when he wanted to control his emotions and especially the Beast. Strangely, since the battle with Slade, he had not felt the creature's presence inside him, not that it displeased him. And so, when Cyborg opened the door to the roof he found his friend lying on the ground, his eyes closed and limbs sprawled all over. He immediately thought he was sleeping and Beast Boy did nothing to contradict this thought, even pretending to snore a bit. He only opened his eyes, pretending to wake up, when he felt a light kick on his side and heard the metal man clear his throat.

"Yeah, what about Cy?" The half robot was smiling but beast Boy could sense what he wanted to say was serious and so he refrained from joking, at least for the moment. Cyborg sat down near his friend on the edge of the roof and looked at the horizon before replying.

"I um… Well you know we have this ball or party, call it what you want, in a few days…"

"Yeah, I do know that Cy. But that's not what you want to talk about, is it?" Beast Boy looked towards his friend and was a bit surprised by the melancholic expression on his face.

"No, not exactly. I've been thinking about this for a long time and it's been a problem i knew I would have to deal with one day or another…" Cyborg paused and sighed lightly before resuming. "You see, I'm half robot…"

"Are you really?" Joked the green teen, unable to stay serious. "Sorry, go on…" He added when Cyborg scowled at him.

"And contrary to my human body, my robot parts are much stronger. But they still decay and since I became like this I knew someday they would become obsolete and I would have to replace them."

"What do you mean?"

"It may be a slower process than the rest of my body but my system still gets damaged and ages. I still have some time before it happens but one day I will have to change my core parts…" Beast Boy didn't know what to think about what his friend was saying, why was he telling him this? It was just like a maintenance routine, taking out pieces and replacing them, wasn't it?

"The problem is that these pieces are physically linked to my human parts and I can't replace them that easily, its a dangerous process…"

"Uhu, but why are you telling me this now Cy?"

"Because I want to do this now." He replied, still looking at the horizon.

"What do you mean now? Like today? And how dangerous?" Asked Beast Boy a bit surprised to say the least.

"Dangerous as in I could die in the process Beast Boy. And yes, as a matter of fact I plan on upgrading myself tomorrow." Beast Boy was about to shout in surprise but before he could open his mouth Cyborg continued. "Please don't freak BB. I know its sudden but during the battle I understood one thing when I got shut down. Our enemies are alwayd trying to find a way to take us down, always searching for our weaknesses, that's why we train all the time, to protect these weaknesses and to develop our strengths. But I'm not like you guys BB, I'm part machine and there are some things that I can't do as well as you guys… Evolving is one of them, I can add all the new components I want I will always be half machine and my weaknesses will never be totally overcome. You know that as well as me BB. That's why I need to do this, why I want to do this, I don't want to come to the point where I become a hindrance to this team. I want to be able to change, like you guys. I know even if I upgrade myself it might not be possible but I've been thinking about it for a long time and I need to do it."

He became silent and turned towards his green friend, waiting for an answer, the moment his friend would turn to him and shake his shoulder while yelling at him that he is mad to even think about doing something like this. But Beast Boy did not reply, he stayed silent, fixing a point on the horizon. When he finally spoke Cyborg almost asked him to repeat, unable to believe what he had just heard.

"Okay." Finally said the green teenager, he was looking at his half robot friend with a calm expression.

"But I-" _Wait, what did he say? He agreed to it?! _Thought the bigger Titan of the two. he jerked his head back up and looked at his friend. "Wait, you're not mad or angry with me risking my life?"

"Of course I am Cyborg, how could I not be, this is as reckless as hell. But seeing how your mind is set on it I don't see how I can stop you… I won't ever forgive you if this goes wrong though…" The changeling added with a grin. Cyborg looked at his friend with a thankful smile.

"Well… Thank you then…" He said. "Thanks man." He added as he clapped Beast Boy's shoulder with his huge metallic hand.

"I just want to know, are you really serious about it? it's not just on the spur of the moment is it?" Asked Beast Boy.

"No, I'm serious about this BB." The green Titan cracked another grin.

"Alrighty then! What do I do?"

"First, don't tell anyone yet. They would never be okay with this. Robin would say no, Starfire would freak out and Raven would probably send me out to another dimension… And I'm not even speaking about Bumblebee…" He added in a lower voice. The cyborg then produced a small electronic pad from one of his pockets and gave it to Beast Boy.

"This thing monitors my vital signs, if anything happens it will tell you. What I want you to do is to take a look on this as the upgrading process will be happening as I won't be conscious during that time. I've prepared everything I need in the workshop so if anything happens you can come down to check on me." Explained Cyborg as Beast Boy looked at his vital signs displayed on the small screen. The changeling simply nodded and Cyborg stood up.

"I've scheduled this for tomorrow night after dinner so until then, not a word to anyone." Added the half robot as Beast Boy also stood up.

"You can count on me Cy!" His toothy grin wide as he put the pad away, hiding it in his suit.

"Thanks BB." Simply replied Cyborg before walking to the door. Beast Boy stayed on the roof, standing to face the horizon where the sun was set to disappear later that day. As he turned around Cyborg noticed what had seemed strange to him about the green teenager. His back seemed broader than before and his posture was straighter, he seemed more sure of himself and imposing. Though it seemed impossible it was like he had grown a few full centimeter in a matter of days. He also seemed to better fill his suit._ Nah, that's probably just me... _Thought Cyborg as he exited the roof.

The dangerous decision his friend had told him about had been on Beast Boy's mind all night and the whole following day. He couldn't shake off the apprehension he was feeling, the risks were high and his friend could die that night without anyone but him knowing it. He shook his head. No, he had said he would help him so he had to be supportive, he couldn't let doubt get the better of him, Cyborg was tech genius, he would be fine. Besides now that he thought about it Beast Boy guessed that his obsolescence was not the only thing on his mind when he had decided to do the upgrade? He smiled to himself as he recalled some of the words Cyborg had said the day before. _Raven would probably send me out to another dimension… And I'm not even speaking about Bumblebee… _Yep, the tin can was determined to do this and so Beast Boy would be as determined as him.

"Are you okay Beast Boy?" Asked a monotonous voice, this jerked the changeling out of his thoughts and he found himself once more in the common room, sitting on the couch while Raven was sitting on a chair on the opposite side and reading a book.

"Huh?" He asked, not having heard the question.

"I was asking if you were okay. You're smiling like an idiot right now…" The witch explained.

"Oh, yeah, no. I was just thinking about a new funny joke." He replied with a grin. "Wanna hear it?"

"No thanks Beast Boy, I'm fine without knowing…" She said, immediately getting back to reading. _Since when has she been watching me?_ He thought with a light smile before looking outside, the night was dark and the others had already gone to bed. Only he had remained as he hadn't noticed anyone leaving the room and Raven who was focused on her book.

"Well, I'm off to bed!" He exclaimed as he got up and walked past the witch. "'Night Rae!" He added as he left the room.

"Its-" But She didn't have time to finish her reply as the doors had already shut behind the changeling. "Tch!" She sighed as she got up as well. "He never listens…" She muttered, a small smile playing on her lips. She had been unintentionally watching him for the past ten minutes his strange expression had captivated her, it wasn't like him to be lost in his thoughts. She had tried to use her empathy skills to try and guess what he was thinking about but to no avail. His emotions were a swirl of melancholy, happiness, apprehension, traces of fear, pride and mischievousness. She didn't knew what he was up to but it surely wasn't good. The dark witch decided it was time for her to 'hit the sack' as Cyborg would say and after placing her empty mug in the sink she teleported in her room and got ready to sleep.

Beast Boy took out the pad as he lay down on the top bunk bed and put it on his nightstand. Cyborg had nodded to him before leaving the room, indicating that he was going to the workshop to prepare for the upgrade. He had insisted on doing this at night as the operation would last a few hours and it would be suspicious if he just disappeared like that during the day. The changeling sighed as he crossed his hands behind his head, was Cyborg going to be okay?

Beast Boy had known for some time he had been working on a special project, since a similar incident as what happened to him during the battle had occurred with Overload, he had started to spend more time in his work shop working on new projects. _What exactly are you doing Cy?_ He sighed as he felt his thoughts away and sleep slowly taking over. He couldn't help the worry tat was slowly seeping into him but he had to trust the tin can, after all he knew what he was doing. Beast Boy opened his eyes once more to check the vital signs and activated the sound to make sure that if anything wrong happened it would wake him up. Then he lay back down and slowly drifted to sleep, the regular beeping from the pad acting like a lullaby.

The teenager suddenly woke up to a loud beeping. He groaned at the sun pouring in his room as he opened his eyes and looked at the time. 6:30.

"Damn it! Why is my alarm ringing at this hour…?" Beast Boy groaned again as he smashed the button on the alarm clock. He lay back down but after a few seconds noticed the beeping sound hadn't stopped. _What the…?_ He thought before remembering. He shot up and sat as he grabbed for the pad. It was beeping loudly and continuously now as the heartbeat monitor was displaying a straight line.

"What the…?" He exclaimed as his heart stopped. _No… No it can't be… No!_ He thought as he jumped off his bed and stormed through his door, not even bothering to change as he was already wearing his uniform. He morphed into a cheetah and sprinted along the corridors and down to the workshop in the basement. This trip had only taken him half a minute but as he arrived in front of the heavy steel door sealing the workshop, only a small window allowed him to peer in the room but he could only see screens and instruments displaying all sorts of monitoring. He could also discern some sort of strange pod in the middle and inside that pod the face of his half robot friend, eyes closed and unmoving.

"Cyborg! Cyborg!" He shouted as he banged on the door, trying to remember the code to open it. "Hey! Do you hear me? Cyborg, open the door please!" The heavy steel door suddenly opened and he stormed inside just as the pod opened, letting a heavy cloud of steam escape from it. Beast Boy ran towards his friend and froze when he saw the grinning face looking at him.

"You shoulda seen your face BB…" Was barely able to say the half robot before he started laughing loudly. "It was priceless! Bwahahahaha!" He erupted.

"You…" Started the green teen, unable to find his words he tightened his fists and hit his friend on the shoulder. "Don't do that! I was scared to death you know!" He yelled and Cyborg laughed even harder, having a hard time repressing his hiccup.

"Dude don't laugh its not funny!" Beast Boy was about to hit his friend again when he noticed all the steam had cleared, his eyes spread wide and his jaw dropped almost to the ground.

"Duuude…" Was all he could say at first, for one of the first times since he had met the cyborg he found himself speechless. "What the…" He took another step back as he took in his friend's appearance. Cyborg had lost all the metallic parts that covered his body and had replaced his limbs for so long, his body was fully covered in skin and seemed…

"Normal…" Whispered the changeling not able to add anything else as he looked at his friend, his eyes still wide and roaming on the previously metallic face, arms and chest and…"Gah!" He yelled as he covered his eyes.

"What's going on BB?" Asked the Afro-American teen. The green Titan said nothing and Cyborg looked down at his body. "What got you so-" He stopped himself as it dawned to him that at the moment he was not clothed. "Oh…" He simply said before laughing again and standing up.

"Don't 'Oh…' me you bastard, what I have seen cannot be unseen…" Exclaimed the green teenager as his friend slowly walked towards his closet in a corner of the room and took out some undies, a T-shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Gah! My eyes, they burn!" Yelled Beast Boy as he rolled on the floor. Once dressed Cyborg walked to him and kicked him lightly in the side.

"Yo, I'm dressed now, you can open your eyes." He said with a mischievous grin. Beast Boy slowly uncovered one eye before opening them both and scowling at his friend.

"I hate you!" He scowled at his taller friend. Cyborg laughed again.

"So, how do I look?" Asked the black teenager to his green friend as they had sat down on a chair and he had explained to Beast Boy that he had replaced the metallic parts in his body by synthetic bones and muscles and implanted nanomachines in his body to 'take care' of these new limbs. He had thought about replacing his robot parts for a long time but no way of being able to make himself look more human had come to his mind, until that fight with Overload that is. The villain had tried to steal a new prototype of nanomachines to create itself a more stable body, they had of course prevented him of doing so and it had made Cyborg think. After a few weeks of intense research and prototyping he had finally managed to develop his own nanomachines and from then on had decided to do the upgrade on his body. He had replaced all the electronic parts in his body with synthetic muscles that would be sustained by the nanomachines. This both made him look like a completely normal human from the outside and retained most of the inhuman strength his robotic limbs gave him. The only downside was that for the moment he had no more integrated weapons like his sonic canon, though it would not be hard to remedy to that. The only detail he had seemed to have overlooked was that when the surgery would be over he would find himself completely nude, exposing some parts of his body that had not been replaced by electronics but that had remained hidden all those years. The situation had been so comical that he hadn't been able to refrain frm laughing, he had almost died that night and his friend was proccupied by his state of nudity.

Now they were both sitting around a small table in his workshop as he had explained that to his green friend.

"Well… you look, uhm…" Started Beast Boy.

"What? Handsome? Sexy?" He interrupted with a wide grin as he flexed his newfound muscles.

"Uh, I was gonna go with really normal… but yeah, why not, if you enjoy your delusions I won't be the one to crush them…" Smirked the changeling, but his smirk suddenly turned in a disgusted grimace. "And nude, much to nude!" He added rubbing his eyes heavily as if he was trying to erase a mental image. Cyborg laughed at his friend's discomfort.

"Hey, it's not that bad BB. Don't worry, it'll pass with time…" He chuckled. Beast Boy's look of pain slowly disappeared as he decided it was time to take revenge.

"Well, I might not like it but I know someone who will surely enjoy it…" He smirked evilly.

"Huh? What?" Cyborg looked back at his friend, his smile disappearing and a quizzical look taking over.

"You know what I mean…" Beast Boy wriggled his eyebrows at his friend in a suggestive look. But as he didn't seem to understand he sighed. "Oh come on! You're not telling me you did all that just for your own pleasure are you?!" Cyborg tried to remain serious but an uneasy feeling rose up in him as he thought about his friend's words.

"I wonder for who, huh?" Asked Beast Boy again, his grin as wide as ever.

"I still don't-" But the cyborg was interrupted before he could finish his sentence.

"Oh come on, it's obvious you did that for a certain leader of Titans East…" Cyborg eyes went wide and he opened his mouth but Beast Boy once again beat him to it.

"Everybody knows you have a thing for Bee…" He said slyly.

"Oh come on!" Exclaimed the Cyborg as he raised his arm towards the ceiling.

"Cyborg love Bumblebee!" Exclaimed the green teenager.

"Stop that!" Replied Cyborg but Beast Boy got up and started dancing around.

"Nope! Cyborg loves Bumblebee, Cyborg loves Bumblebee!" He sang, running around as his friend tried to catch him.

"I said quit it!" Shouted the cyborg as his friend changed into a bird and flew over him to the other end of the room.

"Mwahahahahaha! You cannot stop me!" Laughed Beast Boy as he kept dancing. Cyborg stopped and stood still for a second, looking unnerved at his friend, before crossing his arms and smirking evilly in turn.

"I warned you pal…" He simply said, his grin getting even bigger.

"Wha-" Started the changeling but before he could finish a hologram appeared out of the taller Titan's mechanical eye, though it seemed like a real one now it still retained its previous properties. The sound wasn't very loud but Beast Boy could distinctly discern himself kneeling over Raven's unmoving body in the dark place they had been trapped in. His eyes went wide as the footage of his love confession replayed before his eyes, he turned to his friend.

"Wha- How- Where…-?" He couldn't finish his sentence but Cyborg understood perfectly his loss for word and smirked once more.

"Doesn't matter BB, so?" He simply asked, arms crossed and a his smile triumphant, waiting. the changeling sighs heavily before raising his arms in the air.

"Okay, I surrender. I wont ever tease you about Bee again if you never bring that up again…"

"Oh yes my little buddy, you will stop that unless you want it to come back and bite you in the arse. And make sure to remember it the next time you have any weird ideas…"

"Dude, you're evil! You know that?! Better looking I'll admit but evil..." Exclaimed the teenager with a nervous smile. Cyborg chuckles as the dreadful images disappears. Well not so dreadful thought the changeling, he hadn't changed his mind after all, he still meant every word he had told her. He just preferred being the one from whom anyone should learn it.

"I know." The half robot replied his smirk still wide.

"So, when are you going to show the new you to the others then?" Asked Beast Boy after an uncomfortable pause. Cyborg looked thoughtful for a moment then smiled again.

"Well It's not like I'll be able to hide it for a long time so might as well be as soon as possible. They'll have the surprise at breakfast, when they wake up."

"Oh I like that!" Smirked the changeling already imagining the faces of his friends. Cyborg joined him, almost laughing at the shock they were about to receive.

"I'll just swing by my room for a change in something better and then we'll make a spectacular entrance."

"Um, wait." Suddenly said Beast Boy, an idea popping in his mind. "I'll go first." Cyborg looked at him, curious. "I want to see the shock on their faces from up close when you come in, it's gonna be epic!" He smiled.

"Alright, then I'll wait a bit to be sure." Grinned Cyborg. "I'm so recording that." He added with a smirk and Beast Boy snickered evilly in return. They high fived each other before leaving the room. As they exited the stairs Cyborg suddenly stopped and turned to the smaller Titan.

"I haven't properly done it but I wanted to thank you Beast Boy, for being there for me." he said, his face serious. Beast Boy looked at him for a moment, a surprised expression on his face. Then a grin broke on his face.

"Meh, don't worry about it man, that's what friends are for! I'm glad you're okay!" He added before walking off towards his room to change in a new outfit. Cyborg looked at him leave before walking towards his own room. _Yep, he's grown._

A few minutes later Beast Boy entered the common room. The huge clock on the side displayed 9:00, it had already been more than two hours since he had woken up. Fortunately he had managed to go back to his room without meeting anyone, though he had almost run into Starfire as she came to knock at his door a few seconds after he had arrived telling him breakfast was ready. As he walked towards the table to sit down he noticed Starfire was sitting there besides Robin and that they were already eating. Raven entered the room just as he sat down on the table.

"Hello friend Beast Boy! hello friend Raven!" Starfire joyously greeted him and the dark girl.

"Hey BB, hey Rae." Simply said Robin with a nod.

"Hey guys." Replied Beast Boy with a smile before turning to Raven. "Hey Rae!" He added.

Raven had nodded back to Starfire and Robin and replied with a simple "Morning" in her usual monotone but she replied to the changeling with an unnerved sigh as he greeted her. "Hello Beast Boy." She refrained from correcting him on her name so early in the morning, not wanting to ruin the good mood. Beast Boy chuckled at her answer before standing back up and curtfully pulling her seat so she could sit down, earning himself a curious glare from the dark sorceress. he simply gestured her to sit with a smile and sat back down once she had, not even sparring another glance towards him. _Ignoring me like a queen_, he thought chuckling inwardly.

The other two hadn't seemed to notice the mute exchange and had kept talking about a future trip to the mall for Starfire as she had to by a dress for the upcoming ball.

"Where is Cyborg?" Asked Robin as everyone had already started eating and he had yet to appear. Raven shrugged and Starfire shook her head to signify they didn't know.

"Don't know either…" Added Beast Boy with his mouth full as Robin turned to him. It had nearly been ten minutes and he had a hard time keeping a straight face. _Please come quick Cy or I won't last much longer!_ He prayed to his friend. "Want me to go fetch him?" He asked.

"Nah." Replied the boy wonder. "He probably overslept, let's leave him be, he needs it, we've all had a tough week. He earned bit of rest."

"I'd rather think I did!" Echoed Cyborgs voice as the doors swooshed open. Beast Boy faced the door from his spot and he saw his friend walk towards them and wink at him. He had changed from his T-shirt and his jeans into a purple polo shirt and a darker pair of jeans. Robin turned around to greet him.

"Oh, hi Cy." He was about to add something but froze when he saw the half machine half man Titan, his eyes went wide to the point where his mask covered almost half his face. Starfire looked up and followed his gaze, turning around towards the tall Titan. Beast Boy heard her fork fall on the ground and saw her mouth open so wide he thought her jaw would drop to the ground. He was struggling not to burst out laughing at his friend's faces but he had to focus as he wanted to see the last Titan's reaction. He looked towards Raven who, after the few seconds of silence, finally decided to look up to where the commotion was happening. He shot a quick glance at the tin man and noticed he had a huge smirk on his face. _Probably has as much trouble not laughing as I do…_ He thought with a smile.

The sorceress's gaze first fell on Beast Boy who was looking at her, she responded with a quizzical expression before turning towards Starfire and Robin and finally, seeing as they were captivated by something, her gaze fell on the entry of the room where the cyborg was standing.

"Wha-" She started. It wasn't long, everything happened in barely a second, but to Beast Boy it seemed like an eternity. He saw her poker face crumble and her eyes widen slowly. her mouth opened wide and then closed a few times just like a fish. She blinked a few times trying to assert that what her eyes were sending to her brain was true before finally shaking out of it and resuming her neutral expression. All this happened so fast that if one had blinked it would've gone unnoticed, but Beast Boy was focused on the dark girl and didn't miss a single moment of it. As she recovered and her face went back to her usual poker face his smile grew even larger than it already was (if that was possible).

"What happened…? Why the f- What?" Was all that Robin was able to utter as he took in the black teenager who was standing in front of them.

"Hey guys!" Simply replied Cyborg with a smile."What? Have y'all seen a ghost or what?" He then asked feigning perfect ignorance before bursting into laughter, soon joined by Beast Boy, and both their voices echoed loudly in the room as the three other Titan seemed completely lost.

Three days later the comical duo were still laughing their asses off as they replayed the recordings Cyborg had made of his appearance in the common room for breakfast. They had the common room to themselves for the moment as Starfire and Robin were doing some last minute shopping and Raven was meditating in her room.

"Man! I can't get enough of Robin!" Exclaimed the taller of the two as they watched for the umpteenth time their leader trying to find his words. "That face he made!" He burst out laughing as the boy wonder's mouth almost touched the floor.

Of course after that Starfire had completely lost control and had started shrieking in delight as she asked two questions a second to the half robot, it had taken almost ten minutes to calm her enough so that he would be able to answer. Robin hadn't moved an inch when they finally had settled down to listen to Cyborg and Raven had gone back to reading her book though Beast Boy could see her throwing glances at his transformed friend and smiled each time she did. As he had been telling the story Beast Boy had received a few glares from his leader whom he had kept in the dark and some strangely impressed glances from raven which she explained by the fact that she never would've believed him capable of keeping a secret that long without blurting it all out. The half machine man had then showed them how he had done it and explained what had changed, especially the fact that his sonic canon wouldn't be operational for a moment now until he had found a way to reintegrate it. His synthetic skin could regenerate ten times faster than his real one thanks to the nanobots, though with enough time he would be able to apply this effect to real tissues, and he could also change the color of it to use as camouflage when necessary.

He and Beast Boy had spent the three next days testing his new abilities and after a number of unsuccessful attempts the changeling had found that his friend's change had not affected in any way his skill at playing video games. That's why during the time they had left before the ball at Titans East Tower later that night they had decided to replay once more the footage of Cyborg's great appearance. As it ended and the screen went black the main doors of the common room swished open and Robin and Starfire came in, hand in hand. Starfire had finally managed to have Robin officially recognize her as his girlfriend and that had somehow made him open up a bit more about their relationship in public. Though he had sill some progress to make from Cyborg's point of view and just to prove his point as soon as he spotted the two friends Robin let Starfire's hand go.

"Time to suit up guys or we're going to be late!" He announced, not noticing Starfire's pouting face.

"Aww man! Do we really have to wear these things?" Asked beast Boy with great reluctance as he pointed to the suits they had bought on their leader's orders.

"Yes Beast Boy, you have to." Replied Robin in a tone that let no room for protest.

"Imma go change. Unlike you BB, I do want to look nice tonight!" He grinned evilly as he said that as he knew that Beast Boy couldn't tease him if he wanted to keep his secret. And indeed, the green teen didn't reply, merely sticking his tongue out before sighing and walking towards his suit. After an hour of preparations they were all in the common room and ready to go. Robin, Cyborg and Beast Boy were all wearing black tuxedoes, thought the green Titan would've much preferred to go wearing jeans and a T-shirt, or even his suit, and Starfire and Raven were wearing dresses. Starfire was wearing an ample purple princess dress and Raven a long strapless dark blue dress that reveals her elegant curves.

"Wow, you look like you've just come out a Disney movie Star!" Cyborg exclaimed as the red headed alien walks in the room. "But you're a real princess after all!" He winked at her and she blushed lightly and thanks him with a smile.

"Thank you friend Cyborg, you look most elegant too!" She replied as Robin looked at her speechless and offered her his arm with a grin.

"You look beautiful Kori…" He whispered in her ear as she took his arm and her blush intensified.

"True that!" Agreed Beast Boy as he registered Cyborgs comment. "But you don't look bad yourself Rae!" He smiled at the Goth girl who simply shrugged and rolled her eyes.

"Are you all ready to go?" She asked and they gathered around her as they nodded. "We're off then." She added in her monotone before opening a dark portal and warping them instantly to Titans east headquarters.

As the Teen titans appeared in the main hall of their comrades headquarters they noticed only a few members had already arrived. Bumblebee was chatting with Aqualad and Argent while Mas, Menos, who had completely recovered, Thunder and Lightning were playing a game of catch. Red star and Hot Spot were serving themselves a few drinks with Herald near the bar. As the group of five walked in all the others turned towards them.

"Hey! Nice to see you guys!" Exclaimed Bumblebee with a big smile. "You're a bit late though, you'll have to check that watch o yours Sparky!" She added as she took each of the Titan's appearance and finally landed on Cyborg. Her face froze for a second then her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth opened a few times without any sound coming out of it.

"Hey Bee!" The taller titan greeted her. "Well, you're not even offering me a drink?" He asked a huge grin on his face as he walked towards them. Beast Boy laughed at the eastern branch's leader's reaction and that seemed to shake her out of her surprise.

"Oh my god Sparky! What happened to you?!" She exclaimed as he stopped to stand next to her.

"Well I made some small upgrades…" He chuckled.

"Tch, ladies man…" Muttered Raven with a small smile as she watched the flying Titan listen intently to the cyborg as he explained the surgery he had done. Beast Boy noticed that and grinned.

"That he is…" He said with a chuckle as he walked after his friend, ignoring the small glare the sorceress was sending him. They all separated after a few minutes of warm welcoming. Bumblebee and Cyborg were discussing about the latter while sitting at a table. Starfire was laughing with Aqualad and Red Star while Beast Boy was playing catch with the two pairs of brothers. Raven had gone near the bar and was pouring herself a drink as Argent approached her and started a conversation. Kole and Gnaark arrived not long after that, the young girl almost immediately running towards Raven and Argent to greet them, followed not long after by the whole Titans South team. Then little by little the rest of the guests came in, first Herald, accompanied by Wonder Girl, then Timmy, Melvin and Teethe with Jericho. As they arrived each one of them was warmly welcomed. And finally the doors opened revealing a smiling Kid Flash accompanied by a pink haired girl.

"Starting the party without me?" He exclaimed with a huge grin. Everyone turned towards him as music started playing and Starfire was about to greet him with a hug when they recognized the pink witch as the ex leader of the Hive Five. Robin immediately took a fighting stance and everyone tensed but before they could do anything they noticed the two newcomers were holding hands. Jinx scowled at the large group before her.

"I told you they would not be happy to see me…" She said as she let his hand go and started to turn around. But the speedster was not about to let his fiery companion get away like this and he grabbed her wrist, spun her around and kissed her. Then, when they finally pulled away panting slightly, he turned towards the others and scowled.

"Jinx quit the villaing gig she's on our side now and she is also my girlfriend. Now if anyone has any objection I will be happy to discuss it with a good whack on the head!" He exclaimed as he looked over to all the Titans present alternatively.

"Relax," Finally intervened Bumblebee as she put a hand on Robin's shoulder. "You can trust Wally, she really quit." She added. Robin reluctantly put away his batarangs and untensed before nodding to the couple. If he always carried them on himself like that was a question that Starfire was going to ask him as soon as she had the chance.

"Thanks Bee." Said Kid Flash as he walked towards the group. "See?" He added a little lower as they approached the bar. "You're welcomed here, just give them a little time to get used to it is all." He grinned at the witch. Jinx simply huffed and poured herself a drink. That's when she was swiped off her feet and pulled into one of the alien princess's bone crushing hug.

"Oh this is wonderful! Will you be my friend? May we go on the trip of shopping? Will you come visit at Titan's tower?" Starfire asked, talking at a speed even the speedster wasn't sure he was able to reach as she put the pink haired ex villain down.

"Uh…" Was all Jinx could mutter before Starfire squealed in delight. The alien then became serious again for a split second. "This is wonderful indeed," She started as he smile faded away momentarily. "but if you were to be lying to me or Wally I shall do the real crushing of the bones and make you do the regretting…" Then her smile came back as dazzling as ever. _Damn, she is even scarier than the Goth chick sometimes…_ Thought Jinx before she shot a dirty look to her boyfriend who was already walking towards Robin and winked at her mouthing a few silent words. _Have fun babe!_ Was all she could understand before Starfire pulled her away towards the dance floor. Music started playing and soon the three childish Titans, who were playing with a ball, and the five actual children found themselves moving in rhythm on the dance floor. Beast Boy, who had noticed the arrival of the speedster and his surprising date saw Starfire and the said date whirl dangerously on the dance floor, not caring if there were already people on it. he grinned.

As soon as they had entered the room he had smiled. Knew it! A voice yelled in his mind. And indeed, the green changeling had known for some time already, even if he did seem daft and impervious to other's interactions he couldn't help but notice the pheromones. And the pheromones never lied, whether it was between Robin and Starfire or Bumblebee and Cyborg, the faint scent was always there. He had smelled it a few times on the speedster without being able to discern the other smell that had lingered on him. But as he had met Kid Flash in the huge hall during the battle against Slade he had smelled the same odor and then it had somehow clicked in his head. It was the same perfume as… _No way…_ He had thought. But the smell was there and the pheromones never lied. Then he had noticed the faint trace of lipstick and it had finished to convince him. If the speedster had managed to convince the pink witch to change her ways then he wasn't about to go against it was he? After all he could somewhat understand what he felt for his own feelings were similar.

He was already starting to sweat and had long ago taken off his jacket and loosened his tie when he spotted the dark girl who had been on his mind so much recently. His eyes followed her as she disappeared in the kitchen and he felt a light tap on his shoulder. Jericho was standing beside him and smiled at him before moving his hands in a series of signs that Beast Boy had a bit of difficulty to understand.

"I should what? Go to the eating place? Oh! Kitchen! I should go to the kitchen? What for? I'm not that… Oh…" He added as realization dawned on him. He chuckled, slightly uncomfortable before the blond boy pushed him out of the dance floor and shooed him with his hands. Beast Boy was about to reply, not sure what to say but probably about to thank him, when a pair of arms caught the mute hero from behind and Kole jumped on his back yelling. The changeling laughed before slowly making his way to the isolated room and sighed as he caught sight of Raven who was calmly trying to make tea. He stopped at the door and sighed silently before clearing his throat and walking in the kitchen.

"Hey Rae…" He greeted her with a sheepish grin as she turned around.

"Hi Beast Boy, and it's Raven." She replied in her monotone before turning back to her tea brewing.

"Yeah, whatever Rae." He replied, his smile turning into a smirk as she turned once again and scowled at him. "Listen, I wanted to talk to you. Can we?" He asked. The dark sorceress looked at him curiously before nodding and turning back to pour the boiling water in a cup. She took the cup in both hands and turned around once more to face the green teenager and leaned on the counter. Beast Boy walked to the table as he thought about how he was going to tackle the subject but she spoke first.

"You know, I heard everything you said..." She muttered in a barely audible voice.

"What?" Started Beast Boy, taken aback. "Oh…" He laughed nervously as he understood what she meant. "Well that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about…" He adds and Raven tenses up and hesitates before continuing. Was he really making the right choice here? That was the question that had been haunting him each time he had thought about voicing his feelings. The fear of being rejected. As he talked he looked at the dark sorceress and saw her tense, it was almost imperceptible, but the green changeling had long since learned to read the pale Titan's body language. His mind raced and the question repeated again in his head. Was it really the right choice? For so long all these voices had told him he was worthless, he didn't deserve what he had, that he didn't deserve to live. His parents in his nightmares, his uncle, the Beast…Even if at that moment his mind was silent he could hear the distant echoes of those voices. He waited another second, hesitating, but it was a second too much. His heart fell and he sighed. "Listen Rae… Raven. What I said back there… I was… I thought you were dead… I thought… I had lost you… I panicked and… I don't know if- I mean I wasn't myself at that moment and I think…" He paused, not wanting to voice his thoughts. No, not his thoughts, if he listened to them he would be grabbing her and kissing her madly right now, but he wasn't. He had cowered out and he had to go with it. He didn't want to say the words because he knew if he did his heart would break, it had already started to hurt, aching more and more at each word. Raven did not let him finish and spoke when he paused.

"So… you mean you didn't think what you said, it wasn't true? You don't… love me?" The words spoken in her monotone voice faded into silence as he locked eyes with her. Beast Boy noticed her voice had a strange edge to it but he couldn't place what it was exactly. Her eyes were hard and did not waver as he nodded silently, unable to speak.

"Yes, it was just a mistake…" He whispered and she took a step back.

"Okay… That's what I thought…" She replied, the edge once again there. "It's good that this is cleared… We better get back to the party then." She added before slowly turning around and putting the only half empty mug of tea in the sink and walking away towards the door. As she turned away from him Beast Boy felt his eyes sting and blur, his heart stopped beating and he swore he could have hear it crack in a million pieces. The echoes are still there as he sees the back of the beautiful girl he always yearned for elegantly walk away in her magnificent dark blue dress, her legs slowly taking her away from him. Oh, how he had dreamt of those legs, two perfect porcelain set of curves. _...to do about it?!_ One of the echoes come back louder than the others. _And what are you going to do about it?!_ The Beast's voice roars from the depths of his mind. The world seems to slow down around him and, as darkness sweeps him once more everything starts to crumble around him. Raven's face flashes before his eyes, her beautiful lips curved into the ever rare smile he takes pride in having put there and her deep purple eyes looking straight at him, a lone tear running along her pale and perfect cheek.

Had he truly done all that for this? Had he willingly given his life and his sanity to save her to end up cowering at the last moment? He felt anger boil in his veins once more, anger at himself, at his cowardice, at his fear… Why? Why was he so weak? Why couldn't he simply tell her after having faced death more than any human could imagine? _No. _The word echoed in his mind, chasing all the other voices. _No._ A simple yet so complicated word. _No._ His voice in his mind wasn't forceful nor was it angry, it was just determined. _No. _He had ran away all those years, afraid of opening himself, he had let so many chances slip away. _No. _But he hadn't done all this for nothing. _No. _No, he let it end like this. He wouldn't dwell on his mistakes or the possible consequences. Not this time.

When Beast Boy opened his eyes again the world was back in its place and Raven was still walking towards the door.

"Damn it!" He swore loudly as he stepped forward and extended his arm. He grabbed the dark sorceress by the wrist and she turned around her face betraying surprise. Her beautiful violet eyes were wet. She was on the verge of crying noticed the changeling. _Because of me?_ He thought. He cursed himself inwardly as the realization hit him.

"What…?" Starts Raven as she motions towards her eyes to wipe the oncoming tears. But the changeling beats her to it. Beast Boy cups her face in his hands and gently rubs her cheeks as he looks straight in her violet orbs.

"I'm sorry but I cant." He simply states, causing her to frown, before slowly leaning in. As soon as their lips connect he closes his eyes and everything else disappears, only the notion of the kiss is left in his mind as he relishes the soft contact with the dark beauty before him. After a few seconds he gently breaks the kiss and lets her face go, Raven opens her eyes again as he does and once more locks eyes with him.

As his lips connects with hers she saw him close his eyes and felt the warmth of his hands on her cheeks. Raven's eyes went wide for a second but soon enough she couldn't resist and unconsciously closed them too, simply enjoying the moment. She felt the cold take back over her skin when he backed away and opened her eyes again, almost grabbing his hands to put them back on her cheeks. The dark Titan looked up and locked eyes with the green changeling once more. _He's taller._ The thought popped in her head as she did so but she almost immediately dismissed it, _he couldn't have grown so much in just a few days, could he?_ She studied him a bit closer and could've sword his jaw was squarer and his fangs longer.

"I can't continue like this Rae." Beast Boy starts. "I- What I said back there… It wasn't a mistake, I… I thought every word of it, I love you Rae, I've love you so much. I've loved you since the beginning and I want you to know it even if you don't. You are the most beautiful and wonderful person I've ever met and I wanted to tell you for so long… But I was so scared… I love you more than anything, you are my angel and the only reason my heart keeps beating… I just wanted you to know even if you don't…" Beast Boy didn't break eye contact as he spoke, staring in her deep violet eyes, unable look away from the worlds that were shining in there. Silence fell over the room as she could feel all the emotions crashing into her in waves, his affection, his love and… his desire towards her? As she recognized the last one she felt her cheeks heat up ad her blood seemed to leave every other part of her body to concentrate in that precise spot.

Beast Boy waited a few seconds for her reaction but it didn't come, she stood there, motionless and simply staring at him. A lump started to form in his throat as the consequences of his actions dawned on him, he had done what he had dreaded for so long, the aching in his heart slowly becoming unbearable.

"You mean it…" Raven whispered so low the green teen almost thought he had imagined her voice. She said nothing as she slowly raised her fingers to her lips and traced the delicate purple curves, never breaking eye contact. Finally, after an eternity, her face turned back to an expressionless mask as she regained her composure. Silently she took a step towards him and he instinctively mimicked her movement taking a step back, suddenly scared. The sorceress took another step and another until she had closed the distance between her and the changeling who had back all the way against the wall and had stopped, unable to go further, the lump in his throat becoming heavier. She looked up and her violet eyes bore into his dark green, as if trying to read the mind behind them.

As he felt the wall behind him Beast Boy knew he couldn't back more than that be still she approached him and he felt his body tense, fearing the oncoming outburst of energy that would send him to another dimension.

"Uh, Rae- Raven…" He started as she stopped right before him, trying to make her come to her senses before she tried to end his short life. She rose her hands and he flinched as she slammed them on the wall on either side of his face but to his surprise she leaned in and her lips once more locking with his. This time it was his turn to open wide eyes at her action. The kiss was light at first but as she took her hands off the wall and put them on his cheeks he closed his eyes and put his arms around her slender shoulders, feeling the soft fabric of her dress under his fingers, and brought her closer to him. The kiss, light at first, deepened as their bodies touched and once more everything faded, there was only them and the warm feeling of their embrace. Beast Boy couldn't tell how long it had lasted but when he opened his eyes again as she back away a little to finally breathe it seemed like eons had passed while they were in each other's arms. She looked at him again, panting slightly and leaned slowly to his ear before whispering.

"Rae is fine with me if it's you…" She simply said before leaning back. Beast Boy felt his heart swell and a smile appear on his face, it was so large he felt like it would dislocate his jaw, and yet it still widened when a smile of its own found its way on the witch's lips. He opened his mouth and was about to reply when the sound of glass coming from the doorstep of the kitchen made both of them jump back.

The half robot half man was standing there, his arms extended in front of him and his hands half closed as if he were holding something in them, at his feet were the debris of two glasses which had apparently been full of champagne. His eyes were almost bulging out of his head and his mouth was so wide open that his jaw almost touched the floor. He stood there for a few seconds, words unable to form in his mouth and his mind blank, until Bumblebee's voice came to them.

"Hey Sparky! What are you standing there for? Rob and Star are already dancing, even Flash is dragging Jinx on the dance floor, I'm gonna get jealous if you don't come back to make me spin soon!" Her laugh followed soon after as they heard a few whistles and 'Ooohs' coming from the other Titans. The cyborg seemed to come back to life to these words and his shocked expression soon faded away, only to be slowly replaced by a huge and evil smirk as he winked at the chromatic duo before turning around and promptly joining his date for a dance. Beast Boy and Raven, who had also been frozen on the spot, looked at each other and even without words they could tell exactly what the other was thinking. _Uh oh…_ They both thought at the same time, this was not going to be good. The changeling was about to voice the possibility that Cyborg would stay silent about it but he was cut short by a loud scream coming from the main room. They both ran towards the door, ready to face the faces of their friends but as they entered the common room Beast Boy sighed as he noticed the commotion didn't seem to be coming from them. Cyborg and Bumblebee were standing next to each other and looking in the same direction as every other Titan in the room : the terrace. The sorceress and the changeling turned towards it too and once more froze.

In the opened window's frame was Standing Cheshire, she wore her usual outfit and her mask covered face. Beast Boy noticed Robin tense up and get ready to attack but the Titans' leader did nothing. The green teenager wondered why she had not drawn any weapons and he moved a bit to the right to better see the villain and then he froze once more. She wasn't alone, she hadn't drawn her weapons for the simple reason that she was supporting someone on her shoulder.

"I'm no here to fight she." Simply stated as she took a step forward to bring the person with her into the light. Everyone gasped and Raven took Beast Boy's hand.

"Don't worry guys, she simply came to bring me back, I couldn't have done it on my own… She saved my life back there." The young red headed man she was helping said with a smile.

"Speedy!" Exclaimed Aqualad as he rushed to help his wounded friend. "You're alive! How…? Everyone thought you were dead!" The red archer smiled once more and winced as his friend took Cheshire's place and started to walk towards a chair for him to sit down. But as he answered the Titan who's hair was not as well combed as usual refused to move and turned to villain.

"She took me out of the debris when the tower started to crumble and saved my life." The assassin clad in green simply looked at him and said nothing. "She's not here to fight, she just agreed to bring me back." Robin untensed a bit though he did not let her leave the corner of his eyes.

"I've brought you back, now I'll take my leave. Good bye Titans." She added before turning back and walking to the edge of the tower's terrace.

"Wait!' Exclaimed Speedy as he extended his arm to catch her and winced at the pain it caused. He had healed a bit since his fight with her but not enough to be able to walk normally, the damage of the poison she had used on him still lingered in his body. He couched some blood and she turned around.

"You shouldn't overexert your body, it hasn't fully healed yet." She simply said and with a nod she disappeared, her Cheshire cat's smile disappearing into the night. Speedy sighed and smiled a at the speedster who came to help him stand.

"Don't worry…" Whispered the other red head to the wounded one. "I know you can work it out…" He said with a smirk as he discreetly pointed in the pink witch's direction with his head, Speedy's eyes widened slightly but he smirked back and nodded.

'Hurray! Friend Speedy is back!" Yelled Starfire, fortunately remembering at the last minute the deadly traits of her hugs and simply lightly taking the archer into her arms. Everyone followed the movement and came to greet him with huge smiles and friendly taps on the shoulder as he walked to sit down on a chair to rest, still feeling exhausted from the little exercise he had to make to come to the tower. Beast Boy looked at the dark girl who was still grabbing his hand and she smiled to him gently, he was about to lean in to her ear and tell her the three words he had waited to so long to speak out loud when another scream resonated in the room. Bumblebee, who was standing next to a very smirking Cyborg, was looking at them wide eyed and pointing a trembling arm in their direction. Beast Boy and Raven both looked at each other and cringed, once more in synchronicity of thoughts: _Oh crap! _This wasn't good at all...


End file.
